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


that declaration. and notwithstandinl
all of those things, he shall be dc
clared elected. That is the provision
; of your law upon the subject that hal
stood there for years. 1t may be ar
| answer 10 your Australian ballot sys
tenn 1t may be that that ought to be
| wiped ont because man who has iesi
than majority can be elected, but L
| it is not an argument against that, i
is not an argument against the pri
mary election bill. Do you know how
many men who have been elected gov
ernor OF this state have been sc
elected by minori'-? DO you know
that Jerry Rusk Vac twice elected by
a minority that fell short think some
5000 of a majority? Hoard was so
elected. Mr.. Smith was so elected
Rusk was elected twice, Hoard and
Peck were elected. all Of them by
from 10000 to LOO short of a
majority. and yet the gentleman who
last spoke was particularly Mortified.
| thought he would move out of this
state if this bill passed, just on that
account, that man under this bill
could be elected by a minority vote.
He can be elected by minority vote
now, If he can get more votes than
any other fellow ca2 for the same
Office, and it Is utterly impossible to
provide to tie contrary, Where there
are three or four men running, IL Is
ettl
enough votes to embrace a clear
majority over all. All the presidents
of the United States since Grant.
saving alone Mckinley, were elected
by the minority vote. The two
Adamsea Polk. Taylor. Buchanan.
and Lincoln In 1860, we're likewise
elected by a minority vote. 1t is in
our system, it Is the fundamental
principle of 1t, and there is no reason,
there is no good reason, why any
sound objection TO the passage Of this
bill can be alleged upon that ground
Il has been urged here as another
reason why this bill should not pass,
that the farmer would not be pro
| tected-that the rSCr farmer boy
would have an opportunity to exploit
his oratory and discuss political
questions, That objection comes
from two lawyers. We all know that
the lawyers are the very best and
most devoted friend to the farm that
/ he has. was very much struck by
/ the proposition, coming from these
| two gentlemen. and 1t occurred to me.
although / doubted it very much. that
| perhaps. that perhaps they had shown
| their devotion to this farming in.
| terest by some act of their past life;
that some one or other Of them had
stood up in some state or other con
yentiou and asked for the nomination
/ Of some farmer for q high Office.
| looked in vain for the last ten years
in this state, and those two men who
urge that objection were both Of them
prominent in politics ev -ry day Of
that ten years, and find that not 4
single republican who was a farmer
was placed on either state or con
! Eressional ticket during that time.
Yes, / went back twenty-five years. q
quarter Of century, and I found thar
during that time not a republican had
been placed upon ticket and elected
on a republican ticket who was q
| farmer. and II struck me taat these
| men sho we're advocating tho inter
| ests of the farmer were talking
! through their hats: that under the
! caucus and eouventi11 system which
they uphold and which they say ought
| to continue TO exist. the farmer that
they are talking about has had no
rights at all went further into the
subject and / found this: found
that in the year 1860 there were Sc
men who were farmers, members OF
| the assembly and ten members Of the
senate. and / find that In ten years
| from that time. or 1870. there we're IS
men who were farmers in the az
sembly and eight in the senate; and
coming down to 1yJI, by steady de
| crease, there were but 81 farmers in
| the assembly and only four iH the
senate; and yet these men, both of
/ them, have been standing up and pro
/ tectlng the farmer during all these
! years. Under that showing, Il were
farmer. I would say, God deliver
me from suck help" | would say ia
/ him. II were a farmer. For Gods
1 sake let me take care % my own IN
terests." In 1860 the caucus and con
yention system was not strong II
! grew powerful in this state, and while
the representative capacity of the
two, those who live on farms and
J those who live in the cities, have
/ been somewhat diminished. today
there is IS per cent. of the population
Of this state living upon farms. and al
the same time there is but AZ. o.
/ slightly less than ~ per cent, who
/ live in cities and villages. And here
is the representation: q and 4. or 81
out Of 1888 members OF the senate ant
assembly are farmers. That is n,
argument shy this bill should no
pass. | think it Will commend itsel
/ to you somewhat as reason why tins
bin ought to be passed. II will ceE
tainly suggest to You that when thes,
men were talking in the interests =
the farmer. and that this bill wouli
emasculate these interests. that the.
we're talking for effect and not on tn,
fact
Men Of the People Elected in Spite o
Caucus and Convention Methods.
NOW. do not stand here to sa.
that there is not something good &
, the caucus and convention system