Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-10-08

| They well know that all government be-
| gins with the nomination Of candidates
/ for office.
Meyer, author of denominations by Di-
| rect Vote" says;
"If there Is any absolute statement
/ which Il q writer Is ready to make, re-
] specting any argument bearing on direct
! primaries, it is that the direct vote sys-
/ TEN does not bring out larger vote"
| At the Scranton county Republican pri-
/ maries OF 1900 over $4,000 votes were
! cast, which is 1000 votes less than the
/ total strength OF the Republican party.
| In Cleveland, o., 5173 vote were cast
! at Republican caucuses in 1873. In 1894,
| under direct primaries, the vote was near
/ ly three times as large In 1896 four
/ times as many voted and in 1899 over
( five times IS many, showing an increasing
/ interest of voters over period OF seven
! years under primary elections Cleye-
/ land. o. probably has the most faulty
4 primary election law now IN use any
/ where yet three times have the voters of
/ that city on submission to them, by an
/ ever increasing vote declared that they
would not return to tie old caucus and
| convention system.
Thus, II il Is conceded that the number
! OF candidates for office in the field would
| be increased under a primary election
! law, which experience seems TO dispr0ve,
the successful candidate would represent
larger constituency, have a much
/ greater NUMBER Oh FDLeH DUCK OF ulIu IMAM
under existing methods.
Minority Candidates.
Consider the relative merits of a pri-
mary election plurality and a convention
majority. In the recent primary election
In Minneapolis the successful candidate
| for the Republican nomination for Con-
gress received 10000 votes. He had two
| opponents, who received 5000 and 60O0
| respectively. He was thus nominated
| by a plurality or minority vote. Now,
even II 1t were admitted that caucuses
| to select delegates to a congressional
! convention would have called out 2l,VUO
voters, what would have been likely to
happen in the convention? What does
/ happen right along In conventional 1t
| is an inherent fault of the caucus and
convention system that so far as express
| ing the will of the people Is concerned,
| weaker candidates, that is, candidates
with less votes, n ust, for self preserva-
| ton, even IL for no better motives, COM
| bine against the candidate who leads.
| More often than not, a plurality III
| convention operates against the chances
of success, and thus a candidate really
| representing the choice Of only 5000 or
| O0OO voters Is selected instead or one
| representing the rerl choice.
The advocates or .aucuseS and con
| ventions raise no objection to the election
| laws on the ground that a plurality may
elect officers, it Is only on minority nomi-
nations that they are so sensitive. Our
statute provides that in all cases and
under all circumstances, the man VINO
| receives the highest vote for an Office
shall be declared elected TO that office,
even though he received but plurality.
All the Presidents of the United States
since Grant, except Mckinley, have been
| elected by a minority vote. Gov. Smith,
Gov. Rusk, Gov. Hoard Gov Peck
were all elected by a minority vote. Ii
| government endures with the election OF
| officers from the President down, By
plurality vote, we can occasionally stand
a plurality nomination under direct vote
| by all the people Better an honest
plurality, representing the honest Judg-
ment Of a large constituency, than a
| machine-made convention majority
which expresses the will of only a small
coterie of political bosses.
Strange Concern for Country Voters.
The opposition platform says that
nominations by direct vote would give
cities and municipalities great power in
the selection Of candidates. This argu-
ment always comes from some city poll
tician who is always much worried about
the country voter. 1t is based upon the
claim that the city voter has an nd
vantage in getting to the polls. The
farmer must travel a long distance, per
haps over poor roads, and often in bad
weather. But how about these disad'
vantages under the caucus and conven-
ton system? In order that his influence
shall be felt at all in making nominations
the farmer must attend at least half a
| dozen caucuses and several conventions
covering nearly the entire season from
suring to fall in his busiest time. This
sOlicitude of the city-bred politician foI
the country voter lacks the stamp OF
| sincerity.
The city politician is not troubling
himself because the farmer has an un
equal chance at elections. The farmer
does not appear to let these disadvan
tages interfere with his duties as citi
zen ON election day. Statistics show
that in some Of our large cities less thar
30 per cent. of the voters go to the polls
and in twenty-four of the larger cities
barely half of the voters vote. Out il
the country there does not seem to be
AIRY such falling of.
As 10 the relative domination Of cities
in nominations by caucuses and cOnven.
tiOns as compared with nominations Ivy
direct vote, the fact is Of interest that
in the recent contests the city of Milwau-
kee gave 90 out of IA Of her votes 10
candidate for governor in one state
convention and 90 out Of ITO TO another
candidate for governor In another state
convention. Would she have been likely
to vote with greater unanimity, would
| htI tuuueutS nave befh hpAe pOlSAG a.
against. the country voters under a pri.
mary election2
Vow Farmers Fare Through Conventions
With nearly so per cent. of the popula-
ton of Wisconsin rural, Mr.. Thomas, the
Republican candidate for railway com
missioner is the only farmer as appears
from the biographical sketches, on either
ticket In 1901 there were but thirty
one farmers out of the 1873 members Ia
the Legislature. To have their proper
tionate representation according to pop
ulation there should have been twice
that many. They do not seem to fare
very we'll under the caucus and conven-
ton plan of nominating candidates. VIII
any one contend that direct nominations
by the people would lessen their repre-
| sentation?
The rugged, honest, self-reliant life and
thought of the farm Is potent for all that
is good in government and all that is ex-
allied In citizenship. Ii Is of supreme i'm.
| portance to the permanency OF our DO
litical institutions, to the making of our
laws. that this wholesome influence find
full measure of expression in all matters
pertaining TO the state
Nominations by direct vote will give
TO each voter. wherever he lives, in town
or country, his just influence his Just
power in making his ballot in naming the
candidates of his party. 1t is because il
will do this very thing and make the leg
islator and public official owe his political
life to the people, make him accountable
. to his whole constituency. that the pQlit.
zeal machine and puhlic-service corpora.
tions are so adverse 10 its adoption. For
under u primary election, as under gen.