Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-02-28

sixteen states. The metropolitan
papers, east and west, are devoting
large editorial and news space to this
subject. The republican state con-
vention in 1898 and 1900, by an over
whelming vote, declared emphatically
in favor of this measure. The demo
cratic state convention in 1898 made
a similar declaration. Numerous as
sembly and senatorial conventions in
Wisconsin adopted primary election
law platform. In the last campaign
no speeches were cheered more vigor-
ously by the people than those favor
ing a primary election law.
Not all the politicians OF the state
are in favor of this law, neither are all
the politicians of the state opposed to
it. It undoubtedly has its greatest
strength among business men, farmers
and Iaboring men who are not usually
prominent in political matters, but
who see in the operation OF this sys-
TEN ar opportunity for them to .ex-
press their individual judgment upon
nominations for office and have that
EXPRESSION registered in definite ana
effective form.
It has been persistently urged that
the action of the republican state con
ventions should have no binding force
upon the members Of the legislature
If that statement is true as applied to
the primary election law, it must be
true so far as every other party
declaration is concerned. The conclu-
sion must inevitably follow then, as
presented in the logic Of the opponents
of the law, that the declarations of z
state convention Of any party are abso
lutely unworthy of regard by the
nominees of the party who are elected
upon platform containing those
declarations. In other words, the op-
pOnents of this bill, in their eagerness
to discredit it, present an unanswer-
able and scathing indictment Of tbs
work Of the very conventions which
they defend. They insist upon the
necessity of conventions and then alb
solutely deny the authority of cOnven-
ton action. They claim that a con-
vention is vital to party excellence and
party success and that it is the bust
ness Of a state convention to nominate
candidates and enunciate principles
In the next breath they declare that
simple platform declaration Of con
ventiOn is the merest rot and IN.
worthy the attention of any member Of
the legislature and that the men who
insist that the platform declaration is
binding are running a political ma
chine and using a party lash in orde
TO sti1e the expression of individual
judgments Of the representatives o.
the party. If convention pledges arc
not binding upon the party, clearly
the convention ought to be abolished
If convention pledges are binding upo
the party it must be abolished. TIL
enemies of a primary election bill il
their eagerness to defeat it, have in
volved themselves in a ludicrous
absurdity in discussing this branch OF
the question. They are not even be
tween the devil and the deep sea
They are in the grasp of both so fa1
as logic is concerned.
The friends of the primary election
law do not rest their case simply upon
a bald platform declaration. 1t shoulC
have it's weight; it should receive tn
consideration to which it is entitled.
but the real reason which rises into
prominence above every other, before
legislative judgment, is this,-that it
will give to every voter in the state
ample opportunity to express his di-
rect choice as to the men whom ht
wants to hold public Office.
The abolition Of the convention
necessitates the adoption of some
other method of securing an express
sion Of party judgments as to what
shall be defined as party principles.
The law gives to congressional com
mittees and to congressional nominee
authority to make platforms for con
sressiOnal districts. The expression
of parties upon national questions car
most properly be made in those con
yentions where federal representatives
are nominated.
The nominees for state offices and
for the senate and assembly form the
platform conventions of the state or.
CARNATIONS of the several parties. It
is believed that in these men, who
may be the law-making power and may
be called upon to enforce the laws.
there is combination of representa-
tive political judgment which, better
than any other that can be named
will cnyaf
ideas of their respective parties. The
men who make platforms are most
likely to regard platform obligations
as binding. When state officers and
nominees for the legislature are in
vested with the power to make party
declarations of principles, the candi-
dacy Of each will be regarded, not only
as question Of personal excellence
but as an embodiment of specific polit-
| ical principles.
In the past nominating conventions
have adopted political platforms. The
work Of such conventions in plat,
! form building has usually been rele
| gated to a committee, small in number
and limited as 10 time. This commit
tee has been usually content and glad
! to swallow the platform dose entire.
prepared either by the chairman or
as in many cases, by some individual
! outside Of the convention. While in
numerous instances this method of
procedure has resulted in the adoption
Of party platforms which have ex-
! pressed party will with great force,
/ cIearness, and comprehensiveness. it is
also true that because of the perfume
tory manner in which these platform