Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-02-20
Caucus Reform.

~ u III ldNOT VI siu
Gus reform in Vermont. 1t is not so very
many years since this agitation began in
the Green Mountain State, and yet at the
present time the demand for pure pri-
maries comes from the press representing
the most varied political interests. In Bur-
lington, for example, the FREE PRESS
and the News have lain down together
on this question and what is perhaps more
noteworthy In this parallel or the lion and
the lamb story, neither is inside of the
other. 1t is coming to be generally recog-
nized that no republican interest can at
ford to admit that 1t must depend upon
votes from the opposite party to win the
day for this Is a tacit confession that a
majority of It's party votes are against it.
Papers supporting both Mccullough and
Webb In the present gubernatorial can
vass as we'll as others that nave as yet
expressed no preference for governor are
uniting in the advocacy of the adoption
of legislation which will make 1t impos-
sible to pack caucuses. The Waterbury
Record says:
In 1896 a caucus bill was passed by the
house of representatives. The record shows
that 11 members voted for 1t and only 90
against 1t. The record also shows that the
members Of nearly all the larger towns
Supported the bill, as the following gentle
men voted for 1t: Col. Childs of st. AL
bans, Or. Hamilton of Richford, Powers
of Morristown. Hon. c. p. Smith of Bur-
lington, Conlln of Colchester, DR.. Webb of
Shelburne, Mack of N~ergennes. Button of
Middlebury, DR.. Thomson of Rutland
city, Hon. II. l.. Clark of Casticton, Judge
Darling of Bennington. Col. Haskins of
Brattleboro, Hadley of Rockingham,
Walker of Woodstock. Walker of Ludlow,
Osgood of Randolph. Silsby of Newbury.
Judge Gleason OF Thetford, Buell. of straf-
ford. Lieut.Gov. Bates Of st. Jchnsbury.
Hon. +. w. Baldwin of Barton, Prouty of
Newport, Adams of Derby. Morse of Barre
city. and DR.. Winch Of Mortified.
This bill was sent to the senate, and
killed there without any discussion. we
mean public discussion. In 1900 "A caucus
bill was introduced into the senate, but
for certain reasons, not known by us, it
never became a law.
This is the situation: Everybody knows
that our State, county ana congressional
officers. practically, are elected, or made,
by the conventions and town primaries,
in other words. that. for nearly fifty years.
with one or two exceptions, when some
defeated party bolted. our september cleo
tons have been nothing but a formal rati-
fcation of what had been previ/sly done
by the conventions, in short. that in this
State a nomination to the important Of
fees Is tantamount to an election Now
we have stringent laws against bribery
at the September elections, where nobody
is under any temptation to buy votes, but
no law to protect the primaries. where
the political jobbers display their peculiar
methods, and pollute the sources of pow
or. This, to say the least, would seem to be
a yHnrp pnn nnf ctf f~r .. ~rant
political party to occupy.
The Lyndonville Journal which has re-
Gently been announced as a Mccullough
paper, prints the following:
In all this clamor for political prefer
mcnt don't lose sight Of the heed of eau
Gus reform. That isn't being discussed
quite enough. We're to have our next law
makers formulate a measure that will con-
troll and give some system to our cau-
cuses. IT would be a wonderful aid to
cleaner politics.
The Vergennes Enterprise thus heartily
endorses a recent utterance of the Ran
dolph Herald on this subject:
Those of US who have occasionally made
uttcrance of cur beliefs regarding YER
mont's one sided political condition Will
find much of interest in a paragraph from
the Randolph Herald: ut is coming-a
caucus law in Vermont. When men can
stand beside the ballot box in our plim-
aries and offer greenbacks for votes with
out lindrance, to say nothing Of accomp-
llshing the sane thing in private and by
other considerations no less Objectionable.
and when a nomination is equivalent TO an
election, no one will question the need of
a law to govern the caucus" Ard vet
there are those who bemoan the lack of
radical thought in Vermont.
Tho Rarra rTa1arrn- ,l..,. nh "
real danger to our political institutions is
to be found, as follows:
From nearly every corner of the State
comes the call for a caucus law. Good.
Every town in Vermont needs it to purify
It's politics. At present no one can boast
of a law that actually restraints dishonesty
In elections. True 1t Is that a great deal
or legal talent has been displayed in per-
fecting the rules and regulations of the
ballot box and the voter has to be shut
up by himself in a stall hen he marks his
vote. All possible precautions are taken
that no undue influence shall be brought
TO bear upon him at the polling place. All
this is very well, but we have shot high
above the mark that was aimed at. The
caucus is the real election and the polling
place n figure head. While all these re-
strictions are iron clad at the latter place
the former Is left open TO any vandalism
Nf'NN So " IANy wynn - ~ may bg
bought and sold at the caucus and the law
does not raise a voice against It. The eau
Gus Is equivalent to election. Let the law
bow to the conditions and provide a rem
edy.
We have selected these utterances at
random from our exchanges and the list
might be indefinitely extended by the quo
tation OF the equally strenuous demands
of other Vermont journals for the elevation
OF our political primaries. We have quoted
a sufficient number from different parts
of the State to give our readers some idea
of the widespread advocacy of his cause,
and under the circumstances it will be diffi.
cult for the next Legislature to ignore
the popular sentiment thus reflected. Cau-
Gus reform is plainly one of the live issues
of the noun in the Green Mountain State.
A SIDEWALK PRESCRIPTION.
The busy doctor was hlrr ying down the
street wh.n he was stopped by a man
noted for his ability to get Sidewalk adj
vice.
Il am thoroughly worn out, and sick and
tired. What ought l to take? asked the
man.
Take a cab" replied the unfeeling doc
nr - n IN ~ AraAa