The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-03-21
CAUCUSES AND CONVENTIONS.
Let Them be Held on the Same Day
in Every County Through
out the State.


CRoOKsTON, Mimi, March Is, '94
EDITOR REPRESENTATIVE,
Dear Sir: Noting the friendly at
titude of your paper towards the peo-
pies party desire to use portion of
your valuable space to express some
ideas in regard to party organiza ton,
and the time and manner of holding
caucuses and conventions for the pur-
pose of nominating county, legisla-
tive, congressional, judicial and state
tickets; to begin with l believe that
the party should have ticket in each
locality and nominate candidates for
all the offices to be filled at the next
general election, no matter what may
seem the prospects of su cess in any
particular locality, for success like
defeat often comes where least ex-
pectsed In our opinion there should
be but one caucus in each precinct or
township, and but one convention in
each county, and that caucus for all
precincts in the state should be held
on the same day throughout the state,
that the county conventions in the
several counties should also be held
on the same day Throughout the state,
each of which county conventions in
addition to nominating candidates
for county offices should select the
delegates to represent their county in
the legislative, judicial, congressional
and state conventions. Which con-
gressional, legislative or judicial con-
ventions respectively should be called
and held for the same day through
out the state. The advantages to be
gained by this method suggested over
the desultory and hap-hazzard meth
number of former caucuses and con-
ventions OF the party are many. In
the first place let the state commit
tee get together and suggest day
for the holding of the caucuSeS, or
primaries, also county, legislative,
judicial, and congressional conven-
tiOnS, which shall be uniform through
out the state, this of course would
not be binding on county, legislative,
judicial, or congressional committees,
but we have no doubt but what the
state committees suggestions would
be followed. The times are very hard
and our voters and party workers
have little money to spend in attend
ing conventions, and my experience
leads me to believe that it is poor
policy to put them to the expense of
attending several conventions; fur
ther, if in every precinct in Minneso-
ia, peoples party caucus is to be held
for the purpose of nominating dele
gates to the county conventions that
day will be a red letter day for the
peoples party in this state, and the
event being fully advertised in all the
papers, no populist will forget or neg
lect to attend the caucus, and we will
thus get full expression of public
opinion in each precinct. thing
which is absolutely necessary for the
success of a reform party; again the
county conventions being all held the
same day throughout the state will
make another notable event in the
peoples party campaign; and further
if the legislative conventions as we'll
as judicial and congressional are all
held in the several districts on the
same day there will be no chance for
a few men, or for old party bosses,
SchemerS, and bOOdlerS to travel about
from one place to another, and from
one county to another, fixing a con-
ventiOn in one on one day and put
ting up job Of some kind in another
county the next day. If the caucuses
and conventions all come on the same
day the job of fixing caucuses and
conventions will be entirely too large
for the political schemers who have
heretofore worked with such great
success in matters of that kind: and
the people will in this way be more
likely to nominate a good ticket than
under the old way of holding conven-
lions and caucuSeS. There are many
other advantages which will suggest
themselves to the reader, so we will
not trespass further upon your time
and space. l would like to hear an
expression of the opinion of the peo-
pies party leaders on this question.
l consider it one of great Importance
to the party, and a course which if
adopted would relieve the party of
great expense, save much valuable
time, and insure an honest expression
of the wishes of the rank and file of
the party. Respectfully yours,
A. R. HoLsToN.
*x*
We think very favorably of Mr..
Holston's suggestions. The peoples
party should. as great reform party,
do all in it's power to prevent fraud