davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
HORIZON RenOrter

Space forbids us to explain the law
in detail, but we will try and illustrate
it by taking as an example a man who
wishes to be sheriff of Dodge county.
Instead of caucuses and conventions
and log rolling delegates, resulting
often in the nomination of a man
whom the majority of his party are
not DESTROYS of having, we will have
primary election, at which the
voters of parties will vote for the can
didate for sheriff together with other
county and state officers. The per
son receiving the greatest number of
votes in each party will be declared
the nominee of that party for the said
office. The different provisions of the
bill prevent any fraud on the part OF
either party and secure a fair and just
vote.
If the caucus system is free from
the defects visible to any fairmind-
ed person, why do we not elect our
candidates on that system also? If
any legislator were to present a bill
doing away with elections and
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07

you moment about the little red
school house. There are forty votes in
that district, and there will be thirty
coming out to that district school
meeting. They are proud that they
can exercise the right of. voter in
this state, and exercise the privilege
of voting for just the man they want
to represent them in that district All
over the state the voters turn out to the
district school meeting because they
have a vital interest and can see that
their vote will count And | have had
something to do with town meetings
for a number of years in my precinct,
where there were 365 republican votes
cast. And at a town meeting we have
all the way from $50 to 225 voters COM
ing out.-in a caucus where we nomi-
nate men to represent the affairs of a
town. One or two times in my life we
have had over 800 votes at a caucus
When you get above the town meeting
and the school district meeting, how
large are our caucuses? My friends,
the caucus that nominated to the
county convention numbered nine.
Why was this?. Just simply because
these voters knew that they would cut
no figure in any convention above a
town meeting. When we go to a
county convention we find we are no
where.
The provisions of this bill provide
that you and l and those men who rep
resent the rural vote,-that large per
cent.,-can have a free right to vote,
and they are entitled to it.
Now, my friends, if anyone says to
you that we in the rural districts
are concerned about this bill becoming
a law, I want to say to you that we de
mand it and we expect it and we want
it, and we pray for you to report favor
ably upon this bill, that it may be
passed by the legislature of this state;
and l want to say that have had the
privilege of passing through the rural
districts of this state for the last two
years and l know what l am talking
about, when I say to you that there Is
a growing demand in favor of this bill
in the rural districts of the state OF
Wisconsin.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
Strike! for Convintions tried and

Tue,
Strike for the grand old caucus.
0ic-se1nper-tarlnls, non-compos-
mentis-multum-in-par errin-so-
orah. Continued applause.)
Ye viii understand Moike, that
haven't Civ We the whole speech, only
the sthrong pints in the arguments.
There was lot iv foine pothry and
talks from the bible tibet tuck we'll
with tn audjince but l can't reminder
thin. 1 wus hopin the speech wud be
printed in the pa-apers so l cud sind
We copy but Jimmy and his frinds
bein so Observation-Disclosures to keen
1t quite, and muzzled tn press so We
Will have to be contint with what I've
writ We. Your loving Brother.
DINNIS.
T. S. Gully Adams made a speech
IN favor iv tn bill. didn't hear II. hut
wan av Monahan's frinds touId me
didn't miss much, he said, Gully fell
down on the home stretch an Jim bate
him under tn wire hans down" Thin
| heard Jones say, Jim cud have Civ
Gully an Ace an bate him aisy." and
| think tbs true, thin bein upprediu-
dist.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
Daily North Star.

The primary election law is a topic
that interests many people at the pres
ent time, and, like all other proposed
new laws has its supporters and enc
mics. We believe that the present re-
publican administration stands
pledged to pass primary election law
and should redeem its pledge. Our
present governor, Robert NJ. La
Toilette, was nominated and elected
on a platform containing that plank
and the people of the state seem 10
have endorsed the platform as Il
stood, by giving Mr.. La Toilette the:r
hearty support. The bill as it is now
framed will do away with the election
Of delegates, which in many ways will
prove decided improvement on our
present system. 1t would tend to puri
fly politics and would to a certain ex.
tent do away with ward healers and
cheap politicians who are always look.
Ing for a chance to become a delegate
to city or county conventions, many of
them taking an unfair advantage OF
the position to extort money from
Would-be candidates. It would also
give an honest, fair minded, popular
candidate a better show against I'm.
scruplous trickster politicians, as,
under our present system, those
people have two chances to get theii
work in.
In the first place they have a chance
to do all the wire pulling they can tC
get delegates elected who are favor
able to their schemes, when only par
TALLY successful in that they generally
have couple of weeks time in which
to try to corrupt the delegates who
have been elected by their opponents
There is an old saying that ANY
man has his price" that applies to a
great many men, there are exceptions
to all rules, of course, but, when men
are open to all kinds of pressure for
two or three weeks there is always a
chance that some of them may be in
fluenced in some way, causing them to
go back on the people that elected
them as delegates.
MALL d HAL HAS DSSn nominated
and elected to an office who was not
the choice of the majority of the peo-
pie who had the right of franchise in
that particular district but, the party
leaders on both sides had the say as
to who were to be candidates and,
after the nominations it has many
times been case of choosing the least
of two evils. Using a slang express
sion the primary election law looks
like a good thing from the road" "let
us push it along" 1t will give every
citizen chance to expires his pref
erence without so much chance OF
being dictated to by party leaders. We
believe this to be a move in the right
direction and feel that this law de-
serves the hearty support of every
honest citizen that has the welfare OF
the general public at heart, be he re-
publican, democrat, populist or pro-
hibitionist.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
Oshkosh Northwestern

Inc Milwaukee Journal and some
olher papers are trying to stir up q
tempest III teapot over the distinc-
zion between recommendation and
demand in the last Republican state
platform with reference to the pri-
mary election law. The question is
whether the platform as read to the
convention that adopted it contained
the expression recommend" or de
mand'' in connection with the matter
OF primary election reform. These
papers are endeavoring to establish it
as fact that as read to the conyen-
ton the word recommend" was used.
But all evidence goes to show that as
adopted in committee and finally COM
pleted, the resolutions contained the
word demand" in this connection.
However, it would appear that in the
publication of the resolutions in the
Milwaukee newspapers at the time of
the convention the term demand" ap-
pears In some of the papers and 'Erec-
ommend" in some others. How this
came about no one can explain unless
1t arose from movement in commit
tee to change the word from ode
mand" to recommend" which was
voted down. The official copy of the
resolutions is said to contain the word
demand" and yet stenographers
claim that the chairman used the
WORD ''recommend' in reading the res
olutions to the convention.
Now what does all this amount to-?
The opposition is trying to make it ap-
pear that the word recommend" was
used, and that therefore, the legisla-
ture is not obligated by the vote of the
people to pass a primary election law.
Yet from a practical point of view,
what difference does it make whether
the voters of the state by 103, 900 plu-
rality recommended or demanded the
enactment of some particular law. A
recommendation of 103, 900 plurality
comes pretty near being gentle de.
mand, or is usually construed in po-
litical affairs as at least denoting a
very decided state of public sentin ant.
When it come down to what the leg
islature shall do, neither a recon-
mendation nor a demand has any le-
gal binding force upon a legislature
But if a legislature is moved at all by
even the recommendations of a com
bined constituency, it would seem that
seldom, if ever, has there been an in
stance in the history of this state
when the people by their votes. point
ed out more clearly and by a larger
majority what they wanted and ex.
pected legislature to 90 than in this
particular case.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
Madison Journal.

Should the fact that reporter Of
The milwaukee, Sentinel made his
proceedings to read recommend"
avail against this mass of testimony?
Should the official or the unofficial be
accepted? Should not the testimony
of all the officials of the convention
outweigh one faulty pen stroke?
The incident illustrates the despera-
ton of the opposition to this bill.
The opposition is strong in Office
holders, in politicians. in great news
papers. Meanwhile the common peo-
pie, the citizens. are at work on their
farms, in their stores and at their
various tasks.
By and by they will ask for an &C
counting. They will say, ''you prom
ised us the direct vote in the naming
of our candidates."
The republican party of Wisconsin
must stand by its pledge.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
Rhinelander Herald.

Nothing could emphasize the super.
iority of the method of formulating
the party platform under the
primary election bill over the
old nod of platform max
over e old method of platform MAX
lES' more than the ease with which the
~-~Tessional politicians propose to re-
Judiate their platform. They say that
conventions adopt platforms Just to
eaten voters, that, after the platform Is
adopted and the candidates elected. the
candidates are not bound to carry ont
the platform. 1t is not their platform.
1t is the platform of the delegates to
the convention. This has come to he
partly true and it is right here that the
new plan is superior. Under the new
plan the men who are elected have
made the platform. 1t is their princi-
pies and their promises and if they
refuse to carry out these promises they
are just common, ordinary liars and
frauds.
If the promises in the last republican
platform had been embodied in a plat
form adopted by the candidates them
selves, as it would be under the pri-
mary election law, we would not be
treated to the spectacle of a lot of ma
chine politicians and federal Office
holders at Madison arguing to the leg
islature that the promises of the plat
form ought not to be kept. These spell
binders would know, that if the plat
form was made by the candidates, that
its promises would be kept. Their
only hope of getting the legislature to
break these promises now, is in making
some legislators think they think that
these pledges are not their pledges, but
are only the pledges of a convention
that represented nobody.
1t happens that the plank of the re-
publican platform that some republi-
cans ask the legislature - repudiate is
the one plank that is absolutely bind.
ing on them. For three years
Governor La Toilette had been
championing this reform. He had
worked it out in all its details, practi-
cally as it is presented in this bill. He
public addresses, in stump speeches
and in pamphlet form before the peo-
pie of this state and before colleges and
universities here and elsewhere. It
was the one great reform upon which
he declared he was bent lie declared
that he sought office largely to secure
that reform. There was not an intellf
gent voter in Wisconsin who did not
know this Under these circumstances
the nomination of LaFollette, without
any plank on the subject, would have
been an absolute promise to enact into
law that proposed bill which LaFollette
had advocated in this way. When the
convention put the plank in the plat
form the party was doubly pledged to
pass the law. And they were pledged
to pass such law as LaF'ollette had
advocated The bill before the legisla-
ture is just that and no more than that.
but if it does not pass it will be an
instance Of political fraud and trickery,
the like of which was never seen in
Wisconsin. The republican legislator
who is asked to vote against the bill
does not need to argue the merits Of
the bill, although it were easy to do so.
His sufficient answer is: when / &C.
cepted my nomination I pledged my
self to vote for this very bill and am
no liar"
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
Appleton Post.

The bill denies no man the right to
vote for whatever candidate he pleas
es, or for a man who is not candi-
date at all. He says this-supposed
restriction will arouse bitter oppo-
sition among Independent voters, for,
as he sees it. there is a manifest de-
termination to destroy the independent
voter at the primary election. Now
the particular Identification Of an in
dependent voter is that he never has
had any part in choosing candidates in
party caucuses. He has held aloof
from all that, and has shown his in
dependence in selecting the least OBJ.
jectionable-to him-candidates from
all tickets, or setting up candidates of
his own, and voting for them. He will
have to do this in the future. The
Independent is Independent Of party
control. He votes for whom he pleas.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
Lake Mills Leader.

It is now believed that the Stevens
primary election bill will pass with
but little modification. When it comes
to a vote it is thought that some of
the senators will make it convenient
to be absent so as not to go on record,
but If there are such weaklings there
their constituents should mark them
for retirement. If a man has not the
courage of his convictions sufficiently
strong to face the music, or is so desti-
tute of convictions that he has to run
away from duty to protect his blank.
ness, he is a good man to be left at
home hereafter when senators are
wanted.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
Superior Evening Telegram.

The people of the state are waiting
patiently to see what the wise men at
Madison will do with the primary
election bill. 1t has hardly dawned
upon them yet that hard, fast and
constituencies combination has been
made to defeat this measure and to
use the desire of the administration
to- pass it as club to delay, endanger
and perhaps defeat other measures.
Whatever the outcome may be. the
honorable members of the senate will
do we'll to bear in mind that their
terms of Office are but short and that
ultimately they will have to 60 before
the people for a renewal of their Off
cial life. 1t is hardly to be expected
that the proposed primary election
law will be perfect or above criticism.
but the general principle of it has
been received and accepted by the
voters of Wisconsin and they expect
to see their representatives at Mad
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07

of choice by direct vote without the in.
PREVENTION or interference Of any polit-
ical agency. We therefore demand that
caucuses and conventions for the nom
ination of candidates for Office be abol-
ished by legislative enactment, and
that all candidates for state, legisla-
tive, congressional, and county offices
be nominated at a primary election
upon the same day by direct vote I'M
der the Australian ballot"
A motion was made by Mr.. SWEET,
the representative of the sixth con-
gressional district on that committee,
to strike out the word demand" in
the primary election plank and substi-
tute in lieu thereof the word rec
ommend" After some little discussion
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07

es-at the election; and votes for no
body at the caucus. If man belongs
10 no party he certainly has no right
to vote in making a ticket for any
party After the tickets are made he
can vote as ne pleases. And any man
may have independence enough to
scratch any Objectionable name on a
ticket he has helped to make when
election day comes. Indeed, there is.
no higher duty Of good citizenship
than to do this, at times.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
Some Objections to the Primary Elec-
ton Bill Considered.
Sincerely yours.
Arthur Dunn.

There are a few, noisy opponents to
the primary election law who claim
The Expense.
That the expense of becoming a can
didate will deter poor and modest, but
deserving men from entering the field.
The only expense under the primary
election law will be that of securing
the signatures of 2 per cent. of the
voters of the district which the candi-
date wishes to represent. One man
could do that work in Outagamie
county in three days. The expense
would not, probably, be ten per cent
OF What it has been of late years Sc
curing delegates and paying them for
coming to the convention. County
delegates, in thousands of instances,
have for years eXacted So to $40 and
expenses while at the convention. And
nominations for county offices, espe-
cially the better paying ones, cost can
didates from 5000 to $1,000. 1t is be-
lieved by well informed men that, I'M
der the new system, salaries might be
reduced 10 per cent. and still leave the
average of county officials better off
than they are now. Only the profess
sional delegate would suffer.
AS to the Platform.
That 'the people" are giving I'D some
authority they now have in regard to
their party platforms. 1t is merely a
difference of delegating authority to
one class of men, and doing it by direct
Tote, instead of delegating it to another
class of men by very roundabout
means. And the men to whom the au
thority is delegated are the nominee:
If the party for the highest political
offices in the state, chosen because they
are representative men of intelligence
md of probity. | believe that thi.
feature of the law is really much bet
Ger than the old plan. The sheer tina
the platforms are to be made by ga 10
of candidates for Office in one breath
and the complaint in the next one tina
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07

ison satisfactorily work out the de-
tails and give them what they haye
already called for in convention and
at the polls. 1t is certain that the state
administration and the assembly will
be found to have worked honestly and
hard for the enactment Of this law.
If it does not pass, none can aGlege
with any fairness that the administra.
ton has not used it's best efforts to
carry ont the pledges of the party and
it's candidates.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07

with reference to the proposed change,
the motion was put and lost,-my
recollection is by unanimous vote.
1t may possibly be, however, that Mr.
SWEET himself voted for his proposed
amendment. The plank was adopted
by the committee with the word de
mand" in the primary election plank,
and | read it to the convention as
chairman of the committee on resolu-
tons, and it was so adopted.
H. w. Chynoweth
Chairman committee on resolutions.
The above is exactly in accordance
with the facts as they transpired.
Walter l.. Houser
Secretary Of committee on -resolu-
tioQS
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
"DEMAND."
That Was the Word i'm the Platform
as Agreed Upon in Committee.

I presented to the committee on res
olutions at the last republican state
convention, a proposed platform, in
which was this plank on the subject
of primary elections:
"The great reformation effected in
our general elections through the Aus
tra1ian ballot inspires us with conf
dence to apply the same method in
making nominations so that every
voter may exercise his sovereign right
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07

choosing our political officers by an
endless series of caucuses and con-
yentions, there would be a great up
roar over this scheme to cheat the
people Of their right to vote direct.
OF course such vote would be I'M
constitutional but we mention it
simply as an illustration.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07

:. wisconsin electors, if you believe ::
: IN the fuIIfIlment of platform ::
!. promises, and approve of Teqis- !:
: Iation to secure to every citizen a ::
!. direct vote in the selection of can. ::
: cIdates for public office as pro. .:
!. posed by the Primary Election ::
: Bill, please address a personal let ::
!. ter to your Assemblyman and to ::
:. your Senator in favor of the pas .
!. sage OF Assembly Bill No. 90, ::
!. known as the Stevens Primary ::
!. Election Bill.
% a..
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07

Robert M. La Toilette made the plat
form alone and forced it upon a dele
gate convention of more than one thou
sand members last summer, is nothing
else SO much as it is laughable.
The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1901-05-25
TO CONNECTING LINES.

This is to advise that commence
ing Monday, February %, 1901,
this company will honor G. P. A..
mileage locally over it's line, thus
abrogating all instructions issued
in October last relative to the dis
continuance of the use of this
mileage locally over the line, such
instructions permitting its use
only between st. Douis and Evans
Vile and Louisville.
We have pleasure in further
stating that all outstanding G. P.
A. mileage tickest will also be
honored over our line locally,
whether they contain clause to this
effect or not.
This is fer your information
and any instructions you may
deem necessary to issue in the
matter. Yours truly,
l.. /. IRWIN,
General Passenger Agent.
The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1901-05-25
TO DELIVER COMMENCE
MENT SERMON.

Rev. M. B. Adams, the eloquent
young pastor of the First Baptist
Church, of this city, will go to
Clarksburg, w. Va, next week,
where he has been invited to de-
liver the annual commencement
sermon at Broaddus College, his
alma mater, on Sunday, June I'd.
We doubt not the address will
be finished and brilliant effort.
You are much more liable to
disease when your liver and bowels
do not act properly. DeWitt's
Little Early Risers remove the
cause of disease. South & Long
moor and w. Mckee Hardie.