Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-01-21

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in one set of caucuses for county
officers, another for assemblymen, an
other for state senators, another for
congressman, another for state Of
ficers, each followed by nominating
conventions; caucuses. and conven-
tions as well, a scene of confusion,
wrangling, dispute and disorder,
where weak men are badgered and
corrupt men are bought. l apprehend,
that very little time will be consumed
on your part upon the objection that
under a primary election nominations
would not be distributed with
reference to geography or nationality,
When primary elections are held upon
the same day, there is no opportunity
for advantage by either party over
the other in this respect, AID the
selection of candidates will be made
upon considerations of greater i'm
portance to the people than either
the nationality or place of residence
of the candidates.
"The objection has been offered that
cities would be able to control as
against the country in a primary cleo
ton, because of the better opportunity
to poll large vote where the popula-
ton is dense. 1t is scarcely fair to
make this objection as pertaining to
primary elections. 1t would be quite as
easy to poll full vote in he country
in primary election as it is to get out
a representative vote to a caucus
under the present system, and it is no
more of an objection against primary
elections that the density of popula-
ton in cities offers greater facility for
polling the city vote than it is against
the election of delegates in caucuses.
Neither would there be a stronger
tendency, for any reason, for cities
to unite as against the country with
primary elections than with caucuses.
In practice it has never been found
possible to unite cities against the
country in any political way. Any
attempt to accomplish this would de-
feat itself by arousing and solidifying
the agricultural sections of the state.
1T has been further objected that
primary election would afford op-
portunity for the presentation of an
unlimited number of candidates, re-
sulting in such division of the vote
that nomination by plurality will be
made by a small majority. This is
one Of the defects of nominations by
political conventions. Under the
caucus and convention system we
often have large number of can
didates located in such parts of the
state as to divide the vote of the can
didate most obnoxious to the machine,
each candidate claiming local sup
port because of residence, for the pur
pose of gathering up delegations that
may be transferred in convention to
the candidate selected by the ma
chine. Nor is this pretense confined
to encouraging candidates for one par
ticular Office, with view of con-
trolling the nomination of that Office.
1t is not unusual, for instance, in a
gubernatorial contest for the machine
to encourage many candidates in
different sections of that state to seek
nomination for the other places on
the state ticket, not for the purpose Of
nominating them for such offices, but
to secure control of the delegations
from counties or congressional dis
tricts, which are to be used in the
convention for the purpose of nomi-
mating the candidate chosen by the
machine for the head of the ticket
This sometimes goes to the extent
of bringing out many candidates for
the same office, reWarding such cand1-
dates for having gathered up their
delegations for this rurpose by ap-
pointment to some office within the
control of the machine. Indeed, so
many phases of this practice are pos
sible under the caucus and conven-
pect it's advocates to venture it as an
argument against primary elections
IF upon trial it should be found
desirable, of if, in your judgemnt, it
should be deemed wise at the outset.
it might be provided that the voter at
the priminary election shall indicate
upon his ballot his first and second
choice of the candidates presented
for each Office and that if no candi-
date has a majority over all candl-
! dates of first choice, then the candi-
) date having the largest number of
: first and second choice votes shall be
) accorded the nomination Rare in
, deed, if ever, would an occasion pre-
! sent itself where this plan would not
!; decide the nomination by majority
, of the votes. The principle has been
; applied in several states with such a
: degree of success that the matter is
no longer an experiment.
District Schools.
, when the educators of the state
} agree on the proposition that the dis
trict schools are inadequate for their
work, and are steadily losing in use
) fulness and depreciating in popular
favor; when this judgment is con-
firmed by a decreasing attendance
uDOn the district school and oOrrn-