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

Robert NJ. La Toilette made the plat
form alone and forced it upon dele
gate convention of more than one thou
sand members last summer, is nothing
else SO much as it is laughable.
Only a First Choice.
That there has heretofore in the con-
vention been a chance for first and a
second choice, and that with the new
law there will be no second choice. The
first choice means, usually, one combi-
nation of interests, and the second
choice means another. It is rare that
any candidate dares to go into 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 convention
who 60 primarily, to nominate ticket
of good men. And there are many OBJ
jectionable candidates nominated be-
cause they are there, at the convention
with some comfortable backing, ready
to combine with whatever interest 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. It
will not take a 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 he
will go if he is interested in what is
going on, as he will be if he knows he
| can make the expression of his prefer
ence felt, as he can at the primary cleo
ton polls. 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 at
fairs. The fact is, the farmer hasn't
mad 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 a first choice.
Republican Disaster,
1hat the primary election law will he
the cause of the passing of the repub.
llcan party from the majority to the
minority organization. Now this Is
not such a narrowing possibility for a
democrat to contemplate And it
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
! Dill will be repealed by a democratic
| legislature. Now why wouldn't the
democrats be content to perpetuate the
means by which they come into power?
Exactly that objection was made to the
Australian ballot, and - strangely
enough, with exactly that result. onlv
| 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 Cd
position, and ten times the predictions
OF disaster, and talk of demonstrations
aflty. Five years hence all the fellows
VINO are eXerting themselves against
the Dill now will swear they were al
ways in favor of it.
c. NJ. Bright.