Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07

accomplished in some manner or other,
ii not at the caucuses, at the conyen-
ton, where the honest trudging fellow
who is unschooled in the tricks of the
trade and parliamentary usages is
trampled down and trodden under foot,
oftimes by a scheeming minority.
The will of the people may otherwise
be defeated, by different candidates for
various positions, practicing a system
of trading and bartering with each
other, inherently and morally as bad as
bribery, but practiced so long in politi-
cal conventions that it has come to be
considered political morality.
1 think it can not be fairly disputed
that it IS not infrequent that, even in
structed delegates violate the mandates
Of their constituents, either for pc
cuniary reasons or by reason of some
other purely personal reason. And
then again it caucuses and conventions
ever do create any special interest
upon the part of the people it is
usually in reference to but one Office,
for instance. the governorship in
state convention or the sheriffship in a
county convention, whereas every Office
is matter of great Importance to the
people Should the will of the people
be supreme in such instance as to the
nomination for the office considered to
be first of Importance, it would then be
the duty of the delegates of the con-
vention, with scarcely no consideration
of the merits of the candidates, and
without knowing the will of the peo-
pie, to make the nominations for the
other offices.
In a convention all is excitement
and confusion; some are bitter and
others sweet, some thanking God and
others cursing according to the way
victory or defeat strikes the peculiar
nature of each Individual; the band
plays the Star Spangled Banner" or
some other national air that appeals
to the heart of all Americans; some
one hastily takes the floor to make
the nominating speech for a candidate
for the next Office on the list, and in
tones of oratory heralds him to the
sky, and then and there the greater
part of the delegates must make
some choice without deliberate con-
sideration.
All conventions are usually cooked
and primed beforehand by the few
and the programme formulated. If a
state convention the bosses are oc-
cupying the hotels parlors. if a county
convention the back end of the big
saloon, in each instance sitting as a
king upon the throne, dispensing
promises as the necessities of each
individual case may require The
convention calls, the programme is
carried out according to arrange
ments with due dispatch, and the
nominees and platform of the party
are dictated by the manipulating
politicians, while the rank and file
of the convention are afraid and
backward to express their rights, and
by default allow gross wrongs to go
unchallenged.
Such a system must certainly dis
SNSI liz lliduoIl IOlS IlOhSoL SlIlZcu
For these reasons and others he be-
comes discouraged and resigns to
fate, and like many other good
citizens appears at the caucuses only
when some active and enthusiastic
movement is on foot.
Will the proposed measure remedy
this evil and secure a more complete
expression by the people for party
nominations after cOnsiderate judg-
ment? You must remember that all
these caucuses and conventions are to
be abolished, and that primary cleo
ton day is to serve for all; all nomi-
nations of candidates for public Office
by all political parties to be made on
said day which is to be a legal holiday
1t is published far and wide as is a
general election; everyone knows Of it.
The newspapers, like the citizens, are
interested in it and have given it spe-
cial attention; all the candidates of all
political parties are interested; their
friends are interested and all are on
hand; it takes but a few moments to
vote and the duty of citizenship has
been performed directly. All citizens
whether schooled or unschooled in
parliamentary law Or sharp practices
will have affair chance without reason
for backwardness, embarrassment, or
hesitation, to use the ballot primarily
and directly without the intervention
of other political agencies.
Plurality Nominations.
1t is true that nomination may be
had, under the Primary Election Sys-
tenn by a plurality vote. So it is also
true of the caucus and convention sys-
tenn, for often candidates are nomi-
mated, as compromise in the conven-
ton whom the people have never con-
sidered for the position in any way
whatever. Elections are also had with
plurality vote, and very often with
even less than that in the election of
presidents.
A way has been suggested by Gov
ernor La Toilette in his message to
remedy the so-called defect, should you
think it defect to allow party nomi-
nations under the proposed system
without a majority vote. But it seems
to me that between the caucus and con-
cention system and the primary cleo
ton method of making nominations.
that it would be far better to allow a
plurality to nominate in a primary
election where you have fair direct
vote and a fair count, than to allow
smaller plurality to nominate by use
of the caucus and convention system
the use of trickery, trades.
bribery, corruption, and bulldozing.