The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-06-28

iudgship, have each ticket in the
field in the primary convention for
delegates to the county convention,
and one or the other of these tickets
ia certain to be elected, ignoring COM
pletely the voters choice for all other
county officers, and unless instructed
the delegates to the county conVen-
ton have it in tbeiI power after Vot-
ing for their favorite for county Judge
to nominate whom they please for all
other officers, totally DISTINGUISHING
the voter of his choice OF the canul-
dates for other offices. Even if they
are instructed these delegates are
shrewd enough to manipulate affairs
80 that in any case they cau avoid
obedience to their instructions. ALI
though men are jealous of their Vot-
ing privileges and know the primary
convention is farce. and 30 express
Themselves, they permit themselves
to be led along from year to year ID
the sams old beaten tracks IN Whlch
they are euchered out of the express
sion of their choice in the county con-
vention. The same thing may be said
of convention primaries for the cleo
ton of delegates to the c0nven'
ton to send delegates to the
state convention. The plan enables
a few active politicians in the ward or
precinct to name all the candidates
for state and county offices from gov
ernor down to constable. Not only
in this way is 1he voter disfranchised
but it opens up way for corruption
in politics. OF course such q thing
could not happen here, but in larger
cities the ward politicians who in this
way control nominations and elections
may and often do use their power to
demand from the candidates pecuni'
airy compensation for their services
and in that way the whole system OF
a representative government is des'
tSoyed and in its place we have cor
rupt government with officials who
have absolutely bought their offices.
This mode of electing delegates by
primary conventions may seem an
unimportant thing, but it is the pro-
life seed of the most widespread
poison, fatal to the healthy growthsof
q republican government. This poison
and decay in popular government
may be obviated and cut up by the
roots by the voter insisting upon his
rights in the primaries, and that is by
forcing the county convention to de
clare that elective primaries must
hereafter be held in every |
ward and precinct in the
then each voter would be
guaranteed his right to vote directly |
for any candidate of his choice and
the RET ult would be truly repre-
sentative government. The county
Democratic convention to be held for
the election of delegates to the state
and for the purpose OF
adopting q policy for the thorough
and government of the
party for the next year has it in its
own power to remedy the great evil OF
primary conventions and the estab-
lishment in it's stead of the rule that
every primary should conduct an cleo
ton at the primary which would af-
ford each voter an opportunity to vote
for all the candidates of his
choice.
Under this plan primary elective
convention codld elect any representa-
tive men of the ward or precinct dele
gates to the county convention and
instruct them according to the will of
the majority to vote for certain candi'
dates who have been elected by the
primaries. We trust this important
matter will not be neglected at the
county Democratic convention, and
that the county executive committee
shall be fully instructed to hold all
the primary elections upon this broad
er and fairer plan, abOlishing alto
gether the corrupting and disfran-
chising policy of primary conventions.
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TIE New York Tribune protests