The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-08
Proposed Change
in Party Rules


Sir:-Now that the Spanish war is In a
sufficiently safe shape we have little
spare time to devote to our local inter-
ests and as tho fall convention approach
es tho question whether the Crawford
county system ordered by the last county
| convention shall be adopted by the next
one or the present system maintained be-
comes "a very live question very
thoughtful letter in your Thursdays is
sue from Mr.. Acker forecasts the proba-
BILE dangers end deficiencies of that sys-
tenn as clearly as II is possible to do with
| an experiment not yet tried. ] admit ut
| once that It is possible for the Crawford
| county system to be failure In Lackd-
wanna courty, but If it is II will be be-
| cause the people of Lackawanna county
are a failure. If with q list of ca ldi-
dates for each Office before him the
| individual Republican voter is unable to
select worthy and decent candidate for
| an office, then the Republican voters are
| unfit for free government, and not only
| is party supremacy not worth maintain
| ing. but 1t deserves and should be de-
| stroyed.
The quiet assumption that the present
| system of county and city conventions
| Is success is worthy careful considera-
| ton before making any change. Under
| the delegate system the city has passed
| entirely under Democratic control The
| a
lures of money have been won only In
| part by Republicans and that end seems
| to have been attained only by practically
| abandoning part of the ticket and con-
| centrating all effort on the offices that
| have the most patronage and political
| control. And all this Is not the worst
| feature to one who believes in the Re-
publican party ss the party of intelli-
| gence and progress. The vote for the
| various candidates shows variations
amounting to thousands of votes. This,
If one considers it carefully, indicates
that thousands of voters are becoming
totally Indifferent to party ties and feel
no sense of responsibility for the nomi-
nees they are supposed to have selected
at the convention and primaries.
Let us look frankly at the present sys-
tenn and its consequences. Say ten coun-
ty officials are to be selected. The fight
in the primary hinges on the election or
| sheriff. Dele gates are run in this inter-
ests and all else is overlooked. / go TO
| the primary and find each delegate spend
| ing money freely to secure his election
his money, perhaps more likely the coun-
| ty candidates and then he represents my
choice for one Office only. The other Of
fees, If even the delegate is an honora-
BILE politician, he is free to recoup his
| expenses on. On the day of the conven-
| ton the various candidates for the lead
ing office dicker with the candidates for
the other offices to be filled until the con-
vention Is provided with a slate or two.
Are these states made by fitness or by a
. | general regard for the victory of the
whole ticket? Not at all The decisive
matter is. How much money can a can
| didate add to help carry the slate in the
| convention? The nominations are finally
| made and the candidate starts out to
| spend his money for the capture of the
necessary votes l will not dwell on this
part. The crowding of the sidewalks with
= | men of influence waiting to be purchased
= by the committee in the last days of the
= | campaign is familiar to us all. | speak
of these facts because all nominees must
i Doodle the primaries for delegates, boodlC
e the convention for nomination, Doodle tho
- saloons and voters for elections and after
all this the public expects them to handle
their small salaried offices honestly anc
for the public good. This is called a sys
:, tenn and we are warned against disturb
d ing it for fear of strange and weirt
} | dangers. But in its last analysis 1t Is {
= | system by which no absolutely conscien
tious, honest or poor man can become {
public official in the state of Pennsylva
mia. Read the oath. administered her,
A to all officials; read the law covering m
a | interest on public funds and guess in th
broad state how many of us public func
tionaries could escape condemnation 70
perjury or rnalfeasance under a stric
= | construction of plain English. If a mai
pays more for an Office than it will brinl
in he must steal to live.
| Let us look at the Crawford count,
system. 1t is the primary day of hi
party and the voter comes to the poll
| and is handed a list of the offices to b
| filled with the various candidates for eacI
n | Office. He looks over the list. He may b
a personally a bad man. lie may desir
r | a thief in an Office of trust. He votes TO
: him. That is one. But the balance of tn
i list he is indifferent to and naturally sc
n lects the nine men whose fitness and pro
n bity commend themselves to him. On hi
5. | vote alone, which would be the NOR
&c likely to give q good admnistration-thi
= with one bad man or the other with wha
g it naturally produces? The candidate @
| the Crawford county system pays hi
pro rata share of the cost of printing th
ballots. That is his only expense. III
buys no delegates, no convention, no pull
| lie. If he does not prove an honest an
70 | efficient man he cannot plead the cost
II | of his campaign for he has no homes
ones. If he proves thief it is because h
le willed it, not because the system force
Q; it.
lie 1t Is urged against the plan that tn
3 county contains divers religions and ma
stroy the good working of this plan. il
us look at matters with our eyes opel
The Welsh Republicans show a solidarit
that is entirely absent from the indine
ent Americans and Germans. 1t may we
:, | happen that the first year or two the
r nominees would be in excess of their n,
&c | tual proportion of the party vote. Bl
VI ii so, their nominees would have to
. fit men to receive such proportion of the
own vote, and If they were not mt me
they would learn by quick experience
test the public pulse more accurately. c
the other hand, the Democratic part
would be confronted by a much wor!
III problem. No young voter will stay in
o. party where he selects his candida
rs through the rotten medium of a count
ls convention when he can pick out al
vote for his preference for every cand
date on the list The Dem ocracy, in sci
defense. must adopt it also and then Wi
one nationality furnishing four-fifths
the vote must set aside enough to Il
IT. | German and American Democrats to a
Iu sure success. 1t will prove pretty pro
III lem to work out, but If the Democra
achieve success 1t will be with a class
men that will leave few regrets to r
publicans.
The religious question and secret s
cieties, / imagine, will cut little ice in q
,,S face OF good value received for ha
L.. Naly