Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-03-13
Constitution and Fundamental Law
Without Caucus and Convention.

Wlknout caucus ana (onVentloHs
Who gave you your fundamental
law? No caucus or convention. Who
gave you those splendid provisions
by which you can, anywhere, in any
spot or place, declare the convictions
OF your own honest mind upon any
subject, be it religious, political, or
whatever it may be, so long as it is
not immoral? Who gave you the right
to worship your God according to the
dictates of your own conscience, but
these people who are not competent to
vote directly for men whom they
want to be presented for the officers
whom you are to elect? Who gave yen
your splendid institutions of learning,
and all of the benefccnt laws under
which We live today? They came
from this source, the people of the
state of Wisconsin, and because they
have voted or had the right to vote
upon that subject. is the government
in form populist government? The
highest order, I say, of representative
government 1t does not represent
populist government, and it does not
subvert any fundamental principle
of our government.
Provisions for Making Platform.
1t has been said in addition to this,
that some of these provisions contain
ed in this bill are highly absurd,
and, among others, the idea that a
platform should be made by anybody
but the convention that nominated the
officers. To those gentlemen who are
interested against this bill this pro.
vision may seem absurd. To those
who have studied government, who
know about its workings, understand
what it Is, it not only does not seem
absurd, but seem right, and again |
want to refer upon that subject to Mr..
Bryce, who has SO ably discussed this
question of politics, or political conven-
tons and caucuses, and more ably
than anybody else: whose opinion up
on that subject comes from reflection,
comes from thought, comes from an
Investigation; and he has studied into
the subjeetmatter and will put his
opinion up against that of any man,
whether he has expressed that opinion
from this floor or elsewhere on that
subject. II is not new thought. 1t
is not something that could be called
Z a whim. 1t is something of merit, that
suggests in this bill that a party plat
form may be made by caucus of the
legislature. Here is what MIR. Bryce,
who wrote on this subject ten years
ago, after seeing the workings of our
system of government and after con.
sidering them carefully, said (Ameri-
can Commonwealth, Vol II, y. 214):
THE elaborate nominating scheme
OF primaries and conventions which
was being constructed 'or the purpose
Of City, state, and confessional cleo
| tiois, was applied to the election of
the president, and thu pational con
vention was the result. We may call
1t an effort of nature to ill the void
left in America by the absence OF the
European parliamentary or cabinet
system, under which an executive is
called into being out of the legisla-
ture by the majority of the legislature.
In the European system no single act
of nomination is necessary, because
the leader of the majority comes grad
ually to the top in virtue Of his own
strength. In America there must be
single and formal act; and thiS act
must emanate from the people. since
it is to them that the party leader,
when he becomes chief magistrate,
win be responsible. There Is not quite
so strong reason for entrusting to the
convention the function of declaring
the aims and tenets Of the party in its
platform, for this might properly be
done by caucus of the legislature
But as the president is, through his
veto power, an independent branch of
the legislature, the moment of nomi'
mating him Is apt for the declaration
of the doctrines, whereof the party
makes rim the standard bearer.
will let Mr.. Bryce speak in
favor of this provision of this bill and
will make him a witness against the
persons who have testified in regard
to this provision In this bill providing
for the making and formulating of the
platform. Who can better make the
platform than the legislature, which
has the power and alone the power to
execute it? If our platform at the
present time made by the convention
Il, as these men who have talked
against this bill say it is, meaningless,
Il is hifh time that some other body
made 1t. 1t is high time that the
legislative body who has the power "a
carry it into force and effect should
make it. should declare II.
Objections to Bill Caused by Misun-
Outstanding Its Provisions.
1t seems to me that many of the
objections which have been urged
against this bin come from misunder-
standing its provisions. A long argu.
ment was made here before you on
the proposition that this bill injected
into city elections the party system
and forced 1t upon every municipality
in the state. The person who made
that statement could not have read
the provisions of this bill, for IL does
nothing of the kind. You cannot read
between its lines any such proposition
as that. There may be at every city
election in every city in this state as
many mass meetings and citizens
meetings as may be desirable to hold.
There is nothing in that says to any
body of citizens or any class of
citizens that you cannot congregate
and have your candidates at the city
IL