River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-03-11

I
nation too far from the voter. Every
transfer of delegated power we .ens
responsibility, until finally, by the
time it is lodged in the hands OF
nominating convention, the seGse &
responsibility has been lost in L I.
unless it has been ticketed through by
instructions from its original source.
And even then all along the journey,
from the primary to the convention,
the confidential agents of the machine
are introducing delegates to the mys-
teries of gold brick and three caru'
political schemes.
1.-THE convention under the most IA
voraSie conditions is anything but
deliberative body. Its work is hurried
and business necessarily transacted in
confusion. There is great excitement.
Ii is the storm center OF a political
tempest. There are rumors and roor-
backs. challenges and denials. There
is no time for investigation and no OPP
portunity to distinguish the real issue
from the false issue. Charges are
withheld and sprung in the conven-
tion purposely TO avoid disproval and
mislead delegates. And the dark horse
is ever in reserve, waiting favorable
opportunity to take the convention I'M
awares. These are the most favorable
conditions which we can hope to have
prevail in and aDout the convention
under the present system. Add to this
all the corruption. which comes with
machine domination of a convention,
and you have political disaster and po-
litcial crime as a result.
IF after long suffering and misrep
resentation the people by tremendous
and united effort could succeed in de-
feating and even destroying the ma
chine, the opportunity offered by the
caucus and convention plan would SIM
ply restore the old or build up new
machine in its place.
A Primary Election the Remedy.
mo, no. Beginning the work in ,Ae
state, put aside the caucus and the
convention They have been and will
continue to be prostituted to the serv-
| ice of corrupt organization. They an
| swer no purpose further than to give
respectable form to political robbery
Abolish the caucus and the convention.
Go back to the first principles of dem
ocTacy Go back to the people. Sub
stitute for both the caucus and the
convention a primary election-held
under all the sanctions of law which
prevail at the general elections
where the citizen may cast his vote
directly to nominate the candidate of
the party with which he affiliates, and
1 have IL cauyasscd ana ret3huso 5 az
he cast it.
Provide means of placing the can
aidates in nomination before the pri-
mary. and forestall the creation of
new caucus system, back of the pri-
mary election.
. l.. Ill an.
election and print on it the names of
all candidates for nomination who
4 have previously filed preliminary nom
ination papers with a designated Off
cial.
Provide that no candidate for NOM
ination shall be entitled to have his
name printed ON the primary election
ticket who shall not have been called
out as q candldstn ~ ~ 'v'''-
guest Of a given percentage of the vote
cast at the preceding election in the
district, county or state in which he is
proposed as a candidate, in the same
manner that judicial candidates are
now called ont in many states.
Provide for the selection of a com
mittee TO represent the party organiza-
tion and promulgate the party plat
| form nv the a'ertirn st the pris ~ nf
representative Nttu from tue party
for each county i'm the state.
"Under severe penalties for violation
of the law, prohibit electioneering in or
about the election booth. punish bri-
berry or the attempt to bride, and pro-
tect fully the canvass and return of the
votes cast.
do this and the knell of the po-
FETAL machine hes sounded in T.
state.
''Then every citizen will share
equally in the nomination of the can
didates Of his parry and attend o
mary elections. as privilege as well
as duty. 1t will no longer be neces-
sary to create an artificial interest in
the general election to induce voters
to attend. Intelligent, well-considered
judgment will be substituted for UNI
thinking enthusiasm, the lamp of rea-
son for the torchlight. The voter will
not requirO TO be persuaded that he has
an interest in the election. He will
know that he has the narni
nations of the party will not be the
result of compromise or impulse. OF
| evil design-the barrel and the ma
| chine. but the cand dates of the n;T
| jority. honestly and fairly nominated.
/ SfrTssN oxro..1r aY1p,.o flor, capao