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


into the political thought and life CT
people by the thousands, young mea
aud old, ignorant men and educated,
the pernicious, monstrous doctrine. that
the violation OF the sacred principle
of representative government, the
spirit ard letter Of the Constitution, is
4 highly commendable If it is only sue
4 cessful, that the American citizen
ballot, his defense. his power, his hope.
his prophesy, is the legitimate, rightfui
spoil and plumber of the political ma
cnine-then they corrupted the very
springs of national life, and polluted
them i'm their courses ar they flow on
to meet the coming generations.
What Shall We DO 10 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
US Ii is too late for that. Except at
long intervals, when in sort of
| frenzy the citizen strikes at the ma
chine shackles, men can 10 longer be
drafted into caucus attendance. They
have seen the game before They
know the dice are loaded. They are no
/ longer Indifferent to their duties, nor
IGNORANT of the situation. They well
understand that their only part in gov
.rnment is to vote the ticket prepared
for them and bear the machine rule of
| heir own party or the machine rule
| II the other party. They know they
| to not get the kind of government they
'ote for, but they do the best they can.
They still attend the elections. They
are as vitality interested in good gov
eminent as ever. They are on wal :
! ing to find the way to achieve 1t.
Here is our final safety. Here is the
ultimate overthrow of the machine.
'.If 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
I 50 oifer.
AYE. more than this: if we guar
antee the American citizen a full voice
| in the selection of candidates, and
/ shaping the policy of his party and the
administration Of government inciden.
! thereto, then shall we invest not onlv
the primaries but the elections as we'll
with an abiding interest for him. e
1 tending beyond the day of the primary
the day OF the election. the weeks Of thu
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.
"Disinterested consideration % a
| few plain facts that govern the situa-
/ ton points the remeuy IS our "1s-
1 y,r~ - t. &C
I 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.
ct 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 il perfects
and guards the system of electing
them.
''The reformation effected in or
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-
4 ing, dispute. ulSOrueI, often OF VIZ
/ lence and collision; weak men were
/ badgered. corrupt men were bought.
/ The employer often followed his men
to the ballot box. voting them in a
/ body, and the political boss was al
ways present. To-Day the voter, freed
| from all annoyances. all espionage, all
intimidation, goes alone into the quiet
of the election booth and exercises ais
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 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 its citizens
before the law.
els there any good reason why
/ ian so successful in securing free
honest ballot and fair count in thr
election, will not work equally well in
the nomination of candidates?
Caucus and Convention System inner
emily Bad.
| ct is idle to talk of reforming the
caucus. The machine, in some in
stances, already anticipating the dan
= a., 4