The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1901-02-01
NOTE OF WARNING.
Strong Talk to Republicans By
Ex-Judge p. T. VanZile,
of Detroit.
DANGERS YHY NEED CHECKING.
The DisgracefuI Practice of Buying
Nominations the Great Evil.

Or it will Fall.
"The one thing that is going to ruin
the republican party in Detroit, in
Wayne county, in the state of Michi-
gan, in the whole countryside most
imminent danger of disruption and
defeats the disgraceful practice of
buying nominations.
The speaker was ex-Judge Philip L.
Van Zile and his audience was 300 stall
warts of the republican party of De-
troit.
IL don't like to scold," Judge Van
Zile said, "but someone must do it,
and will take upon myself the onus
| of the task. am not candidate for
anything and do not believe that
ever will be candidate again.
| Therefore l can talk to you in plain
words. We must come to the realiza.
ton of the truth that considerations of
| merit must be palaced above considera
tions for the dollar 1t is matter of
the greatest concern to me that the
of the dishonor that has of late come
upon it by the open charges of cor
ruption in nominating conventions.
There is one Office of the people, do
not have to mention it by name, for
you will all recognize it INN ediately
to which no man can aspire unless
he be millionaire or in league with
millionaires. 1t has been said that the
senate of the United States is a mil
lionaire's club and said with more
truth than fiction.
Now this state of affairs is antago-
nstic to every institution of republi-
can form of government. 1t is some
thing that the people will not forever
brook. 1t is because of such things
that we hear so much about independ-'
ent voting. Why, it was only in our
last campaign that our orators upon
the stump were nightly in fear of ques-
tons as to how certain nominations
were secured. They were afraid be-
cause they dared not give truthful
answer
"Ouf political system Is founded
upon the theory that merit wins. As
az matter of fact, merit does not win.
Ut did once, but the time has gone. 1t
has come to pass that the great mass
of the electors in our state are crying
out for the adjustment of nominating
conventions. Why? Why because con.
ventions have come to be mighty
uncertain things. We vote for dele
gates pledged to work for certain can.
didates and to represent certain prin-
ciples, When they get on the floor of
the conventions they vote quite oppo-
site to what their constituents want.
II am opposed to conventions. l
would have the people select their own
candidates so that the latter would be
above the suspicion of having bought
their nominations.
There was time at the birth of
the republican party-I remember it
well-when the chief principle of the
party leaders was lofty patriotism and
unimpeachable integrity. We turned
our faces to all wrong and fought it
Our nominees were above reproach.
But gentlemen you will agree with
me, there are mighty few rail split
ters' nominated for high Offices today.
The ward should be the well.spriDg
OF pure politics. What the ward, the
precinct is, such will be the state and
nation. If corruption is practiced in
ward politics, the dishonest particles
will flow along to pollute the stream of
city politics, the river of state politics
and the ocean or national politics. 1t
is high time we had such an organiza-
ton as is proposed tonight. If we
can't abolish conventions, we can at
least purify them. We should send
men as delegates who would defy the
very devil himself if Offering evil
temptations.
Remember that it is not only by
money that delegates can be bribed.
The distribution of patronage and the
promises of exchange of pulls is quite
as much bribery as Is the paying q
man in cash for his vote. You know
as we'll as l that there have been r.
multitude of offices created In this city
and in this state for no other purpose
than to have a greater amount of pat
ronage to distribute. Men could be
elected as mayors of Detroit Grand
Rapids, Saginaw, Jackson, Bay City,
Battle Greek and the other leading
cities Of the state who could reduce the
public offices and the public expense by
30 per cent without injuring the effici-
eucy of the local governments.
Charges of corruption have been
laid at the door of the grand old repub
lican party. Therefore there are large
numbers of men who vote the ticket
only because there is nowhere else for
them to go. The democratic party of
the last few years stands for nothing ia
particular 1t has had no principles
Ct g. Ill L.