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


elections through the Australian bai-
lot, inspires US with confidence to
apply the same method in making
nominations, so that every voter may
exercise his sovereign right Of choice
by direct vote without intervention or
interference of any political agency.
We therefore demand that caucuses
and conventions for the nomination OF
candidates for Office be abolished by
legislative enactment and that all can
didates for state, legislative, con.
gressional, and county Offices be nom
mated by a primary election upon the
same day, by direct vote under the
Australian ballot"
Convention Properly Accredited.
l have not yet heard that the con-
vention that adopted that resolution
and expressed the subject matter you
are to consider in so plain and IN
mistakable language were not en-
powered to speak for the great re-
publican party throughout the state Of
Wisconsin. Nobody yet has dared to
say that it did not have that right and
that power. Whatever my sentiments
may have been in that convention
whatever your sentiments may have
been in that convention, the great
party that takes care Of the interests
Of all, promulgated that sentiment as
its doctrine and as the doctrine upon
which it wishes to stand to go before
the people at the next election.
No Proposition to Violate Party
Pledge Until Now.
From the day that that plank in
that platform was adopted up to the
day that this discussion was opened,
| heard from the lips Of no man the
proposition that legislation should not
be formulated upon that plank. In
other words, L heard from the lips OF
no man the most astounding state
ment that the republican party, after
it had declared that to be it's doctrine
and after it had been proclaimed from
enc end to the other Of this state, was
willing or thought for a moment Of
violating it's party edge-violating
/
nomination the officers for whom the
people voted had adopted and that
they for a moment thought Of such a
thing as violating that pledge and de-
stroying that doctrine Of the republi-
can party. From the moment that
this platform was adopted it has
been promulgated as no other plat
form of the republican party
or any other party in this state has
been promulgated. 1t was published
in every one Of your newspapers; it
was proclaimed from the stump, and
no man who went out to advocate in
behalf Of the republican principles
ever dropped a word that the party
did not intend to abide by the princi-
pies of that plank. No man dared or
would dare to stand up before the peo-
pie asking for their suffrages and say
to them, eve adopted that plank as a
part Of our party principles at our last
convention, but we do not mean to
carry it out. We put it in there as a
catcher of votes. We put it in there
to fool the people. We put it in there
and at the time we did it we intended
to break faith with you" No man did
that. No man dared do it, and for the
first time there comes to you, gentle
men of the committee the proposition
that the republican party is not bound
by that plank. In Gods name, how
could the party be bound by anything
if they are not bound by that? Where
is there a line or syllable in your
platform from the beginning to the
end that is not binding on you and
binding on the republican party if
that is not? 1t is the most positive,
the most definite, the most certain of
any of the planks that are contained in
your platform. What man would
stand up before you or before the peo-
pie of this state and say that the DEC
larations of parties made in their con
ventions are Of no effect? They do
not bind anybody? Nobody is bound
to follow them? What man would
stand up before you and say Break
your pledges; break your party faith;
deceive the people; lie to them?" No!
No. When the republican party
adopted that plank, it adopted it in
earnest. When it said to the people
of this state that that was demanded,
they meant just what they said. When
the people of this state voted for it as
they did, they meant what they said.
They talked to you in language that
could not be misunderstood. There
in 10
that voted for that than for the prop
osition contained in the other plat
form. There was no provision in
your platform that they voted
more for or more strongly than they
did that very provision.
Opposition to Platform Was Voiced at
Election.
There were some republicans who
voted against the republican ticket.
take it they did it for no other rea~
son than that they did not believe in
that plank. In my ward in the city of
Madison, the first ward, 1 am very
credib1y informed that. twenty-five
republicans scratched the head of the
republican ticket. | take it for grant
ed that they did because they did not
believe in that platform. I do not
| dispute their right.
Party Bound by Plank.
But having done it, they have no
right to say to you and me that the
republican party is not bound by that
plank. It may be to some men not a
very SeriOuS thing tO violate Dartv
pledges, to break party promises. To
! me there can be no more serious mis-.
take made by any party than not to