The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1901-03-01
CLOSER TO THE PEOPLE.
Plan Adopted by Republic an County
Convention Last Week Brings the
County Organization Nearer the

Oou"T ~ 6o<"'o" 'No"S' "S
Voters.
The rank and file of the republican
voters and workers in Shiawassee
county have no fault to find with the
slight change in the method of perfect
ing the county organization made by
the county convention in Corunna last
week, In fact The TIMES has not heard
of single republican who has not ex-
pressed approval of the change when he
understood what it was. The present
time seems to be a period when the con-
test between the forces which would
take more and more political powers
away from the mass of the people and
those which would place m ore RESPONSE
bility directly in their hands is inclined
to be in favor of the latter. And it is
right that it should be so.
Of course numerous cases to the con-
trAry can be cited, but the fact remains
that almost everywhere the pc ople are
asking that an increased number of
important measures be referred to them
directly instead of being settled by a
small delegated body over which they
have but slight control. This tendency
is seen in the continued advocacy of the
initiative and referendum principle, of
the principle of proportional representa-.
ton, and of the various forms of caucus
or primary election laws which are ad-
vocated to rid the people of the burdens
of bossism through the direct interposi.
ton of the will of the people in all part.
les. To be sure, the part played by the
republican county convention in bring
ing such condition of affairs more
nearly at hand is slight, and yet 1t is
worth noting as being step in the right
direction so far as this county is con.
cerned.
The republican county committee in
campaign years is one of the most inn.
portant parts of the party's political
machinery and is a committee where
every town and voting precinct is sup.
posed to be represented by one of its
best and most discreet republican
workers. In the past the choice of such
a man has been in perhaps the greater
part of the towns and wards a matter
in which the average republican had no
voice whatever. The TIMES does not
mean to infer that such method has
given the party in the county inferior
or less loyal county committees than
any other method would have given
them but merely wishes to point out
that there was sometimes occasion for
fault finding at the method whereby the
choice was more frequently than not
left to the delegation from town or
ward after it had been attending the
sessions of county convention for a
whole day. A real weakness in the
system can however be pointed out,
not in the men elected but in the rela-
tons between the county committee
and the precinct, town. ward or city
ITO IOldtlOuS WtT6 uOU
defined at all under the old method, in
fact may scarcely be said to have exist.
ed. The result was that aside from the
member of the county committee from
the precinct, the county chairman had
no other party worker whom he could
ask for information in an official way,
q fact which sometimes led to useless
duplication of work and sometimes TO
It's omission entirely. By happy pro.
vision of the new plan the latter feature
Is remedied at the same time that the
rights and duties of the average repub-
ican voter to have voice in the choice
Of his county committeeman are guar
anteed.
The plan was the result of large
of deliberation on the part of
the state workers and was adopted and
recommended by the state convention
for adoption by county conventions
the state. In brief; as stated
last week, the new plan as adopted by
our county convention, and plan
which has been adopted by many other
Throughout. the state and will
probably be adopted by all as the adj
vantages are more forcefully presented,
IS as follows: At the first caucuses
which are held in each even numbered
year to elect delegates to county con-
and only at such times, a ward
Dr. township committee is elected by the
voters present. The man whom the
voters elect as chairman of that com.
nittee is then by virtue of that election
also their representative. on the county
The result is that the
voters themselves at their own caucus
lame their county committeeman and
lave only themselves to blame if they
10 not get the best representative
AVAILABLE on the board. The entire APP
power Is placed where it
hould be, in the hands of the voters
themselves. But at the same time by
having the members of the county com
nittee chairmen of their various town
md ward committees the chairman of
he former is placed in position where
re can make use of the town or city or.
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