The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1897-03-09

A petition signed by many OF the
voters of the city W IS recently sent to
representa- tives of this county and
senatorial district praying for the
passage of Assembly Bill No. $50
This bill is no doubt the most import
ant measure before the legislature OF
Wisconsin to-day, AS it proposes to
require and regulate the primary elec-
tons for the nomination Of candidates
for office. This bill proposes that all
caucuses for the nomination OF candl-
dates for offices to be voted for IN the
fall shall take place on the first Tues
day after the first Monday in Septem-
Der next preceding the holding OF a
general election. 1t requires every
person who wishes to become q candi-
date for office to get number of sign
ers to his call equal to one percentum
at least OF the votes cast by the party
which he wishes to serve as a candI-
date at the last preceding election.
This done he is EMIT. ed to a place on
the ticket to be voted for in the Gait
Gus. The voting on candidates at h :
caucus will then proceei in exactly the
same manner as at a general election.
Under such a law, regulated in every
detail as l'gorously as a general cleo
ton with similar penalties for its
violation, it is easy to he SEN how
the primaries can be nude the most
potent factor in purifying the political
atmosphere of our state as nothing
else has done or is likely to de- for years
to come. 1t forever does away with
the so called "snap caucuses' in which
the large MAJ ority OF voters are never
represented. 1t forever does away
with caucuses controlled by a few po
litical DULLES so common in every
town, village or city. 1t is oftimes
boosted that we live N the land of the
free, a land where every man is a
monarch and the government run by
his agent chosen through the instru
ntality of q free ballot. This was
the original idea and intention Of the
founders of this republic, but the bal
lot has been outwitted by shrewd
politicians, and it's grand Offices
brought to naught through the cor
ruption of the primaries, the true seat
of American liberty. We have always
held that the men who remained away
from the caucus sacrificed every vestage
of that freedom that distinguishes
him from the European peaSantry, bat
too often have the voters who did at
tend those primaries been robbed of
their franchise by cunning political
bosses who have cheated them out OF
their votes. This has been repeated
so often that voters have lost conf
dence in the caucus altogether and
ually remain at home. Ii radical
reforms are not inauguarted soon,
vot ers will eventually lose confidence
in the ballot also. But this law pro.
poses 10 give back to the voters that
OF which they have been robbed by the
politicians. This bill, if passed, means
pure caucus 1t means that the
ofice-seeker must appeal directly to
the people for the fuIfiIlment OF his
political ambitions, rather than to
the ward politician, whose boast it has
been to carry The votes of his respective
precinct in his vest pocket. We be-
eve this bill to besthe greatest factor
in purifying the election yet devised,
and voters OF every party should do
all in their power by petitioninG their
representatives at Madison to have
the bill become law