The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-06-24
IDEAS AT VARIANCE
SOME FAVOR CONVENTION NOM
NATION, OTHERS OPPOSE.

renee or COn0lIlOnS InaL prevailed at
the last legislative session, many
Democrats favor the adoption Of a
resolution pledging nominees for the
legislature to go into caucus on all
party questions and to abide by the re-
suit. The resolution may go so far as to
require the senatorial candidates re-
ceiving the lowest vote to be dropped
after d certain number Of ballots. and
so narrow the contest down within the
party that a choice is certain to be ar
rived at within a very short time.
Others are more radical. They think
the convention itself should name the
senatorial candidate, arguing that this
IS the surest way to arrive at the
popular choice.
Among those who have given the
matter some thought is W. II. Dale.
Mr.. Dale said yesterday that while he
was in favor of the proposition TO elect
United States senators by direct vote
of the people, until that result can be
reached in the proper way he believed
it best not to complicate the situation
by attempting to nominate in the state
convention.
Wants an Open Field.
"By keeping all the candidates, pos
sible or probable, active or receptive,
in the race until after the election"
Mr.. Dale went on, "the efforts of each
candidate and mis- friends will be ex-
erted for the success of the ticket. 1t
seems 10 me the first duty of local
Democrats is to carry the state and
the legislature, in order that we may
be certain of a Democratic senator
ANY Democratic senator is better than
any Republican for that place, if we
believe our party principles are right
and should prevail.
In 1895 we tried this plan, naming
ne hn nd
qualified Democrats of the state The
result is known TO all. The Republi-
cans then, as no doubt they will do
HOW. Kept all their candidates Ia the
race and won the election. Our action,
brave though it may have been. awak-
ened antagOnism in many quarters,
diverted attention from the real issues
of The campaign, centered the fight
upon our candidates, intensified the
opposition Of personal enemies. and we
lost. It was magnificent, but it was
not politics.
THE argument is used that we must
satisfy the voters Of the state that an
other deadlock will not occur In the
recent special election the Democrats
faced the people and were given a de-
cisive majority in spite Of the fact
that our opponents called particular at
tentiOn to our failure to elect a Sena-
tor as one of our party mistakes. Why
should we fear to meet them again?
Besides. what assurance have we that
the Republicans would do better if Civ
en the legislature They elected six
r1en as delegates to their nat-.nal con-
VentiOn. and these six were unable to
select a member of their national COM
mittee.
4 believe the coming campaign
should be fought upon national issues,
and not upon the question of who shall
be United States senator TO fill the
vacancy now existing. Select as legls-
Iative candidates men of pTObity, good
sense and character and leave that
question to them Then wOrk Cor a
constitutional amendment making COM
pulsory the election of senators by di-
rect vote of the people
Rawlins Favors Nomination.
Senator Joseph L. RawIins takes a
directly opposite view to Mr.. Dale. He
believes the convention should make
the nomination, and viii likely do some
missionary work toward that end. on
general principles" said Senator Raw
Inns yesterday, Il think that is the
proper course to pursue. SUCH an &C
ton would be in line with the declara-
ton in the last local Democratic plat
form in favor Of electing senators by
direct vote. This is as near as we can
come 70 that at this time.
Senator Rawlins added that he knew
there We're many sound arguments
against the plan, but it seemed gOod
20 him. anyway. In this way, ne
thought the people could be assured
as in no other manner that the Demo-
cratic legislature which is to be chosen
at the polls this fall viii not repeat
the tie-uD of two years ago.
Richard b. Shepard, who was q mem
Der of the last legislature, as well as
the one preceding i, expressed hlnlselI
in decided terms against the nomlna-
ton of a senator by the convention. he
even went so far as to say he belleVec
the Democrats would lose the leglsla-
ture if the convention insisted on
adopting such a resolution. L would
certainly favor. and would do ali IN
my power 20 have adopted" he said,
"a resolution pledging Democratic NOM
fnees to the legislature to go into eau
Gus and 10 abide by the result
Shepard Wants a Caucus.
of I were a member Of the legislature
and such a measure had been adopted
by my party convention, L would vote
for the caucus nominee, even though
he might be man with whom l was
not on speaking terms. This seems to
me TO be the solution Of the difficulty.
7 certainly don't think it would be right
or rroper to have the convention name
fhe candidate II would not be fair to
the party 10 have its chance of success
hound no in the fortunes and popularity
of any one man.
at would be calculated to make other
aspirants for the senatOrship, and all
honorable men have the right to aspire
To that position, lukewarm in their
support of the ticket. Knowing that
they had been eliminated as DOssibili-
ties. they might become careless in
their party duties and might neglect
opportunities to further the common
cause"
Alfales Young is open in his advocacy
OF the convention nomination. He
thinks the party could go before the
people more untrammeled in this way
than in any other. AS to other aspir-
ants growing lukeWaTm, Mr. Young de-
cIares such viii not be the case. If
they are good party men they viii, IN
his judgment, work as hard and as
Loyalty for the ticket as if the nomina-
ton had fallen to one of them.
E. W. Wilson's Views.
E. W Wilson takes sides with SIR.
Dale. In the light of past experience
ii would be the height of folly. he
thinks. for the convention to nominate
a senator.
Il know Of no reason why the Demo-
cratic party should be looking for
trouble within its own ranks, Mr..
Wilson continued. What we want is
a. united front and to have this it will
be Just as safe 20 eliminate plans which
are suggested ana urged by a few who
have axes TO grind. We did this in Utah
once. and I plead guilty to helping the
fellows who then had the axes TO grind,
but we were all beaten. If experience
IS worth anything, let re not overlook
ours / know of no Republicans urging
this Man for their state cOnVention.'