Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-05-31
MANY FLAWS IN
STEVENS BILL
Senator Whitehead Shows the De-
fects in the Famous Po-
litical Act.
NOT AUSTRALIAN SYSTEM.
Did Not Comply with the Pledge
Contained in the Republican
Parv's Platform.
NOT AUSTRALIAN SYSTEM.
DlSFRANCHIsED INDEPENDENT VOTER
Would Perpetuate Men in Power and
Would Not Insnre Direct Vote
for Candidates for Office.

When, in response to the call made
hpon him by Wisconsin Republicans,
State Senator John M. Whitehead an
nounced his candidacy for the Repub-
1ican nomination for governor, he stated
in a letter making that announcement
THAT he would discuss later the issues
Involved in the campaign.
1t is in compliance with that pledge
THAT Senator Whitehead is now engaged
i'm writing a series of letters, a portion
of which are printed in this supplement.
The senator first took up the Stevens pri-
mary election bill and gave it the most
thorough and exhaustive analysis to
(which it has been subjected. These let
sers are printed in the following pages.
another series on other subjects will fol
low.
The people of the state have in one
way and another expressed their disap-
proval of the primary election plan as
embodied in the Stevens bill, but that
fact does not seem to have impressed IL
self upon Gov. La Toilette. In the fur
therance of his campaign the governor
has issued wonderful piece of litera-
ture entitled THE Voters Handbook"
and in that curious compilation fifteen
pages are devoted to an explanation and
defense OH the Stevens election bill.
ANYONE with sufficient curiosity can see
for himself what the handbook has to
say on the subject by referring to pages
So to 81, and when he has accomplished
the ordeal he will have no doubt that
the Stevens bill is still an issue before
The people of the state.
Tho erata,1opte p,ado thu handbook
concerning the Stevens bill leave little
room to doubt that if Gov. La Toilette
Is reelected and can control the Legis-
lature some such monstrosity as the Ste
WINS bill will be enacted into law and
saddled upon the people of the state
of Wisconsin. 1t behooves every Re-
publican tc thoroughly inform himself
concerning the bill and its operations,
and when he has come to understand it
he will neeG 10 urging to exert his in
fuence III opposition to it.
The letters which Senator Whitehead
has written upon the bject form a val
uable addition to the political literatlsre
of the day. The senator, who is recog-
nized as one Of the ablest men in the
Legislature, has always been favorably
Impressed with the primary election prin-
ciple and has given the subject great
deal of study. When the subject was
first brought to the attention of the Leg
tslature, in what was known as the Lew
Is bill, Senator Whitehead took it up
and devoted much time to it's investiga-
tion. The fact that he believed in the
principle did not blind him to the diff
ficulties surrounding the devising of ma
chinery to put the principle into opera
tion. He was dissatisfied with the Lewis
bill and refused to give it his support
because he believed that it was not prac
tical When the Stevens bill was intro
duced, he studied it with the greatest
thoroughness and became satisfied that
it neither fulfilled the party pledge to
enact a primary election bill nor fur
nished a satisfactory means of providing
"a primary election.
In the series of letters which follow
he has given the bill very exhaustive
analysis and has shown up its many
defects in such a manner that anybody
who will read the letters can understand
He shows conclusively that the bill was
not calculated to do what it purported
to do; that it did not comply with the
party pledge and was not such a bill
as was contemplated by the party plat
form.