Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-03-13

Robert NJ. La Toilette made the plat
form alone and forced it upon dele
gate convention of more than one thou
sand members tast summer, is nothing
else so much as it is laughable.
Only q First Choice.
That there has heretofore in the con.
vention been chance for first and a
second choice, and that witt the new
law there will be no second choice. II e
first choice means, usually, one combi-
nation OF interests, and the second
choice means another. 1t is rare that
any candidate dares to go into a con-
vention alone-a tub standing on its
own bottom. Every candidate has
some backing he can call his own, and
usually that he can trade upon. There
are not many delegates at a convention
who 60 primarily, to nominate ticker
of good men. And there are many OBJ
iectionable candidates nominated be
cause they are there, at the convention
with me controllable backing, ready
to combine with whatever int; est has
the most to give in return. Everybody
who has attended a convention has
seen this.
The Poor Farmer.
That the law will rob the farmer Of
any voice in county and state affairs
This is a piece with all the rest. 1t
will not take farmer any~longer to go
to the primary election than it does to
go to the caucus. And there is no
farmer who can not take half day to
go anywhere he likes. The farmer is
not deserving Of any sympathy on this
line. He can go If he wants to. and lie
will 90 If he is interested in what is
going on, as he viii be If he knows he
can make the expression OF his prefer.
ence fell as he can at the primary cleo
ton pol s. The only anxiety that need
be felt about the farmer is lest he
comes and expresses himself instead of
letting somebody else do it for him.
There is mighty sight more nervous.
ness about the loss of ability OF little
bosses" to fix the delegates" in GER.
| tain towns than there is about cutting
off the farmer from a voice in state ar
fairs. The fact is. the farmer hasn't
had any voice in state affairs. and this
change in the law is calculated TO give
him the same voice exactly that The
leader" has-every man one vote, and
that for first choice.
Republican Disaster.
That the primary election law will be
the cause OF the passing of the repub-
liean party from the majority to the
minority organization. Now this is
not such a narrowing possibility for a
democrat to contemplate. And il
isn't much of an argument, either.
Yet one speaker before the committee
at Madison declared dramatically that
after the change of party control this
bill will be repealed by a DE- uocratic
Legislature" Now why wouldn't the
democrats be content to perpetuate the
means by which they come into poyer7
Exactly that objection was made to the
Australian ballot. and - strangely
enough, with exactly that re4u,t. only
the democrats did not repeal the law.
Now it is said that there was mo
such opposition to the Australian bal.
lot as there is to the primary election
law. There was ten times as much on
position. and ten times the predictions
of disaster, and talk of uneonstitution.
ality. Five years hence all the fellows
who are exerting themselves against
the bill new will swear they we're al.
ways in favor of it.
c. NJ Bright.