The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1897-03-16

more than all this, WneH tney w h0t
into the political thought and ilIe O
people by the thousands, young me-.
and old, ignorant men and educa!ed'
the pernicious, monstrous doctrine, thao
the violation Of the sacred prlnclple
of representative government, the
spirit and letter Of the Constitution, is
! highly commendable il 1t is only sue
cessful. that the American citizen
ballot, his defense, his power, his nope,
his prophesy, is the legitimate, rlghtlul
spoil and plumber OF the polltlcal ma
chine-then they corrupted the very
springs of national life, and polluted
them in their courses as they flow on
TO meet the coming generations.
What Shall We Do to Be Saved?
"What, then, shall we do to be
saved?
waste no more time in vain SER
mons on the duty of attending the eau
Gus. 1t is too late for that. Except at
long intervals, when in sort OF
frenzy the citizen strikes at the ma
chine shackles, men can no longer Dc
drafted into caucus attendance. Ihey
have seen the game before. They
know the dice are loaded They are no
longer Indifferent to their duties, nor
ignorant of the situation. Ihey We'll
understand that their only part in gov
eminent is to vote the ticket prepared
for them, and bear the machine rule OF
heir own party or the machine rule
Of the other party. They know they
10 not get the kind of government they
Yote for, but they do the best they can.
They still attend the elections. They
are as vitality interested in good gov
Il ,Fxrx +
ing to find the way to achieve it.
Here is our final safety. Here is the
ultimate overthrow of the machine.
eff we provide the same safeguards,
the same certainty, the same facility
for expressing and executing the will
of the people at the primaries as now
prevail at the elections, we shall have
the same general interest, the same
general participation in the one as in
tho other.
ave. more than this; if we guar
antee the American citizen full voice
in the selection of candidates, and
shaping the policy of his party and the
administration of government incident
thereto, then shall we invest not only
the primaries but the elections as we'll
with an abiding interest for him. eE
tending beyond the day Of the primary,
the day of the election, the weeks Of the
campaign; then indeed shall we make
the primary and the election of vastly
deeper significance, appealing in a new
way to his deliberate judgment, his pa
triotism and his personal responsible
ity.
''Disinteresfed consideration Of a
few plain facts that govern the situa
ton points the remedy. AS OuT GOV
eminent has developed it is surely as
important to the state that the citizen
be protected in the exercise of his
choice Of candidates as in the election
of candidates to Office.
Safeguards About the Nominations.
cit is as much the interest and as
plainly the duty of the state TO as
carefully perfect and guard a system
of nominating candidates as it perfects
and guards the system of electing
them.
"The reformation effected in our
elections by the Australian voting sys-
tenn should inspire us with confidence
in advancing the lines of attack Re
call for one moment the change
wrought wherever the Australian sYs-
tenn has been adopted. Formerly the
polling place was the scene of wrang-
ling, dispute, disorder, often of vio-
lence and collision; weak men were
badgered, corrupt men were bought.
The employer often followed his men
to the ballot box, voting them in
body, and the political boss was al
ways present. Today the voter, freed
from all annoyances, all espionage, all
intimidation, goes alone into the quiet
Of the election booth and exercises his
right without fear of punishment or
hope of reward, other than his own
conscience affords and the general
good secures. Here rich and poor. en-
ployer and employed, meet on the same
level. That which had become a mere
theory under the old plan of voting is
transformed into an assured fact under
the new, and the state maintains in
this place the equality of it's citizens
before the law.
us there any good reason why
plan so successful in securing free
honest ballot and fair count in th
election, will not work equally we'll in
the nomination of candidates?
Caucus and Convention System Inner
emily Bad.
1T is idle to talk of reforming the