The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1894-07-18

and Republican voters. Who were his
enemies? Some seven or eight th0us:
and Populists and Democrats. Are
not Governor MCCoNNELL's friends
very proper persons to discuss Repnb-
lican measures? Are not they entitled
to interpose objections where Republi-
can interests alone are jeopardized ?
Truly, that is q remarkable argument
for Mi. WooD and his several Repub-
lican friends to advance, and clearly
discloses where approval of the sena-
torial proposition springs from-Gov-
ernor MCCONNELL's enemies, Popu-
lists and Democrats If you please.
Again, says the extremely disinterested
Mr.. WooD, the Idaho delegation has
been subjected to personal attacks.
Who else would Mr.. WooD have us at-
tackp Did not Messrs. SHoUP, d.
BOTS and SWEET assume personal re-
sponsibility for instigating the meas
ure. They were attacked a. politicians,
not a. citizens, officers or statesmen.
They injected into Republican politics
q measure which was designed to cre-
ate faction Under the flimsy pretense
of popular demand for one thing they
proposed q subterfuge which was All
entirely different thing. And they and
you, Mr.. WooD, have systematically at
tempted to establish schism in the
party by openly and repeatedly charg.
ing that all the opposition to this polit-
ical trick springs from friendship to
Governor MCCONNELL. Neither you
nor they have the broadness or gener-
osity to conceive of opposition which
does not grow ont Of malice or selfish
ness. Perhaps your main trouble Is
that you miscalculsted your strength,
and now seek to fasten the consequence
Of your own error on those who sought
to deter you from such rank folly.
You, sir, claim to be q peculiarly disin-
terested parsonage. we'll, then, answer
honestly, what was it that started this
turmoil and contention in the Republi-
can party? Who injected the virus?
Was it not SHoUP, DUBOIS and SWEET
Who, then, deserve censure?
You tell us that convention nomina-
ton brings the election of senators
nearer to the people. That is the one
and only statement you or any other
advocate of the measure, have I'D.
va,ced which argues at all in favor Of
the proposition. If you can not clearly
and incontestably establish its truth
fulness, you must admit yourself with.
out, a shadow of support in reason or
policy. In order to create the neces-
sity of convention nomination, you are
at once driven to animadvert upon the
character Of Republican legislatures,
which you do frankly and freely. You
do not scruple to charge ~ that they
are utterly unreliable; az that they are
not representative, and 90 that they
are VIGOROUSLY corrupt. If we admit
that to be true analysis of Republi.
can legislatures, you viii readily agree
that moral obligation will not count
for much in controlling their actions.
Of all the monstrous absurdities which
you, Mr.. WOOD, have ever embraced or
did you ever conceive of
moro utterly destitute of
sense than the idea of binding by moral
forces utterly immoral agentsp More
conspicuously still does the absurdity
appear when this 50 called moral force
is employed to strip men of their legal
and constitutional rights. Sir, if the
legislators be utterly unreliable and
by what process do you pro-
pose to compel them to do the bidding
Of Republican Convention or any
other unauthorized body? Out of sheer
pity for you, we are tempted to drop
this question. Do you not realize into
what silly contradictions your second
hand, ready made convictions have
driven you? You not only have no
that the legislature will &C.
luiesce in the convention nomination,
but, sir, You have the evidence of your
,wn argument to prove that the legis-
allure will repudiate it. Then explain
t you can. where that step occurs
which brings the election of United
states Senators single degree nearer
he people. As q natural correlative
o legislative reputation you are
orced to clothe convention delegates
With virtues they were never before &C. .
used or suspected of possessing. But
our great hope rests in one virtue and
hat most questionable one. Tracta-
'ility is the desideratum in legislative
odies, the convention supplies the
uality in elegant profusion. The
'RIBUNE is not disposed to disparage
delegates. Some good men,
ccidentally and otherwise find their
ray into conventions but with the