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

4 anu oeaAS way WHICH COulU De QeNlS2G-
A separate ballot is provided for
each party,-an arrangement which is
not open to objection
Judicial, village and township cleo
tons, which are non-partisan, are not
interfered with.
The nominees Of the party for the
legislative and state Offices make the
platforms, the pledges of which they
must be called upon to perform.
| Sufficient penalties attach to every
infraction of every portion of the law.
| From beginning to end, there is not
an ambiguous or misleading para
graph.
In every section and in every clause.
in the plainest English, there has been
incorporated single purpose,-that
of giving to the rank and file of all
| political parties the rights and priv
leges of making party tickets, I'm
hampered by technical requirements.
! Since the Stevens bill was intro
duced and published, it has been a
subject of much discussion in public
and private places and in the press OF
the state. Many views have been
presented which have indicated
clearly lack of definite knowledge
of either the purposes, the provisions,
or the effects of the measure.
The following alleged objections to
the bill have been made:
That it deprives young men OF the
political education obtained in eau
cuses and conventions.
That it will weaken party organiza-
lions and destroy party spirit.
That it will give undue influence to
newspapers.
That it will confer upon towns and
cities a greater power in the primaries
than the rural districts.
That ittwill cause the organization
of irresistible political machines.
That it will elevate demagogues and
| submerge statesmen.
That it is an experiment not war
ranted by existing conditions.
That it is the incorporation into law
of the gospel of suspicion"
| candidates for convention honors.
That it means the selection of mi
| nority candidates.
That it eliminates questions of geog-
| raphy and nationality in the selection
of nominees.
That it makes an official primary
ballot of frightfully large dimensions,
and discriminating vote almost i'm
possible.
That it will entail great additional
expense upon the state.
That the plan has failed where tried.
That convention utterances upon
the subject should have no weight
with the legislature and that the pro-
posed law is substantial indictment
| of the American plan of representa-
tive government.
| That the candidates for state offices
! and the legislature should not make
party platforms.
Objections Considered.
| Are modern caucuses and conven-
tons the best nurseries of political
knowledge? Do they not to a very
large degree develop talents in young
men which should be allowed to
| slumber? Is it not true that there is
nothing more distinctive i'll the av-
erage modern caucus and convention
than questions of cxpediency, willy
manipulation and the art of making
political trades? Are caucuses and
| conventions dominated by patriotic
| judgments therein formed, or by fac
! tiona1 and personal influences which
ante-date them? Would any man to
whom this argument is addressed and
who is familiar with all the details of
caucus work honestly desire that his
son should receive his political educa-
ton in such a school?
There is ample field for the &C
Quirement of political education
through the agency of the press,
through the records of legislative and
congressional discussion and in the
fierce contests Of political campaigns
where political issues are discussed
for weeks and months from nearly
every platform in the country.
1t is a unique proposition that the
only way or the most valuable way in
which young men can be trained fol
public life and the duties of citizen
ship is through listening to extrava-
CANT convention laudations Of candi.
dates, participating in the multitude
| nous dickers of the convention and
being inspired by the luminous genius
of the successful convention trader
1t is an admitted fact that large Dor.
ton of the best citizenship of this
country does not participate in caucus
proceedings because Of their charac
ter. And if their character is such as
to produce this result, as an elemen
tary means of instruction they cal
safely be omitted from a course OF
political education for developing and
training political judgments and tai
ents in the young men of the state
| The claim that primary election
law will weaken party organizations
and destroy party spirit can be an
swered by statement Of the fact that
the proposed law is the most distinct
i've, emphatic, substantial and compre-
hensive recognition of parties which
has ever been written into law. Ii
regulates almost every movement OF
party life. It secures uniformity Of
action in every step of party move.
ments. 1t gives to no party the ad-
vantage in law or in practice over any
other party. It will restore party
spirit because it provides for rational
and uniform action and gives to every