Amador ledger., 1902-08-29
WHERE, OH WHEREl

LObANNtROAS ASe1NulN vi OiG ONlllO-
cratic convention in Sutter Greek
was professed scrupulousness in
regard to the letter of the law. 1t
was a gathering where lawyers, and
those in charge Of The legal ma
chinery of the cou'...y were in con-
troll. A fussy spirit, born of a de-
sire to steal march in some way
upon the proceedings of the repub-
licaD conven ton held only a week
before, seemed to prevail. 1t was
fine scheme to place democracy in
the know-it-all column, and their re-
publican opponents in the know
nothing attitude. 1t was taking
idea, that promised to reflect credit
upon themselves, and discredit upon
the republicans. Casting a legal
and hypercritical eye down the line,
they discovered a mares nest The
republican convention had nominat-
ed candidates by acclamation-that
is by unanimous vivi voce vote. So
when nominations were in order, the
democratic conven ton started in to
follow suit When up jumps an OBJ
Jector. That plan would not do
The law in such cases made and pro-
vided, required the secretary to cast
the vote of the convention. Not a
soul had the temerity to dispute this
proposition Of law And so it came
to pass that the absurd scene was
enacted in every nomination made
from superior Judge down to con-
stable for the respective townships
of the secretary putting in and
taking out a scrap of paper from
a hat, and thereafter by some
legerdemain process branding it as
the vote of 81 individuals compris-
ing the gathering. 1t was a soul
inspiring spectacle. Every sensible
man in the hall must have been pro-
foundly impressed with the genius
of the legislator who could thus do
the miracle act of Transforming one
innocent ballot into any number of
ballots required, and label it due
process of law" The delegates
waxed gleeful over the dilemma, and
told the terrified how their repub-
lican friends had been caught in the
meshes of q web" One speaker,
more bold than the rest, actually
patted the democracy on the back,
metaphorically speaking, for its
stern adherence to the technicalities
of law. He evidently was not enthu-
siastic over the zone means 81" per-
formance, but nevertheless it was
declared to be the law, and that set
tied it. The writer was fairly non.
plussed, not so much for the safety
of the republican ticket that had
run into such fatal snare, but for
the fair name of the California legis-
lature. Was it possible that the
law making power had resolved it
self into a lunatic asylum, and placed
such an idiotic provision upon the
statute book? What would become
of the vaunted freedom of the Amer
lean citizens, if such tomfool ideas
were to be elevated into law. We
hunted up the California election
laws, and 10 what a load was lifted
from our saddened spirit on discov-
.ering-as we fully expected to dis
cover-that no such silly provision
was contained in the book. 1t was
a bugaboo of their own creation-a
sample of democratic convention
made law. Conventions may, and
often do adopt the rule, but to say
that such mummery is mandatory
under the state law will not pass
muster. We therefore, join with
our readers, in indulging the hope
that the country is still safe, the
proclamations Of the democracy to
the contrary Notwithstanding.