The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-06-18
IN DEFENSE OF THE CRAWFORD
SYSTEM.


Editor OF The Tribune
Sir: As several quotations and editorials in
your paper leave the impression in the minds OF
your readers that the Crawford county system
is a failure, will you kindly permit the review
Of the case by one who early advocate of
this system to present the opposite side and pre-.
vent what is in his eyes relapse into the bar
barism Of the delegate system2 The tendency to-
ward the reference of all nominations to the indi.
vidual voter is becoming widespread All through
the cities of New York state and through the
cities of the central west and northwest it is
being adopted as the nearest to the idea-the
town meeting system Even rotten old Mississip
pi, after throwing out all its black Republican
voters, opens its caucuses to all nominations and
not only chooses its senators by the individual
vote, but even now is submitting the panks Of
its party platform in the primary. 1t to
me that in the face of all this return to the
delegate system would be against the best reason
and experience of the country.
1t cannot be claimed that as a method of party
organization the Crawford county system is
failure. When adopted the city government was
completely in Democratic hands, The county
government was half lost and the remnant saved
by compromise. The Democratic party was
united and triumphant and the Republican party
disgraced and broken into fighting factions. Two
years OF the Crawford system have given us
executive control of the city, won the battles
OF the county and school board fights with scarce
ly money enough to pay the return judges, and
today offers the people the strongest ticket from
| a political point Of view that has ever been con-
structed and one that would have been impossible
to frame in the days of the quarreling bosses
think experience has demonstrated that all the
people have more sense that some of the people
and that the united party that is now lining up
| for the presidential campaign faced by broken
and torn Democracy, justiies entirely the faith
| of those of US who advocated the Crawford sys-
| TEN.
It may be claimed that a portion OF the pri-
| mary vote is iegitmate. This is probably So.
| but when compared with the Mckinley vote
| scarcely 5 per cent, and this is hardly surprs-
| ing when at an important election, with all the
| safeguards of law, probably more than 10 per
| cent. of the vote in this city is unqualified and
| illegal. As to the quality of the nominees, |
| consider it demonstrated that notorously cor
| rupt man cannot be elected while the most
radical reformer is apt to meet public approval.
The actual working OF the system seems to be
that the candidate having the confidence and
good will Of the people can register and then
sit the back porch and smoke until election
day and win, while the candidate who is little
known or unfayoraby known must supplement
| his personal friendship with the two.dolar vote.
| 1t is useless to deny the presence Of this venal
vote. 1t has always been present and always will
| be, and experience has demonstrated that it is
| only dangerous when the purchaser check
and assure himself of the delivery OF the goods.
| This can be prevented by system and effort OF