The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-07-18
CONVENTION AFTERMATH.
Good Precedent SET ID the Matter Of
Platform Construction.
BRIEF ENUNcIATIoN OF POLICIES.
And Concise Declaration OF Principles
Substituted for the Old Time Attempts
TO Anticipate Legislative Action.

Galveston, Texas. july i7.-Four wears
ngo The State democratic convention. which |
me; IN this city and nominated Savers tar |
governor took the 'irst st.p in the direction |
OF securing uniform primaries by approving |
ct them In tho platform II formulated. Two |
years later the Waco convention was more !
emphatic or this subject than Its prcdcces.
sur had been and went to the length ~
demanding that the legislature pass Law
providing that political parties shall ho
their primaries for the nomination " heir |
candidates on the same date In all the coun-
ties OF the State. In both instances the
declarations of the platform in the matter
were dlsregarded. mostly on the ground
Of alleged incXpediency. On the other hand
public sentiment gr.w at rapid rate IN
favor of uniform primaries aud became go
strong that 1t controlled the State convcn.
tion. which met here this week and In
5uced 1t to adopt the only means by which
such primaries cnn he secured without fail.
that is by fixing the date for holding them
two years in advance and prescribing the
penalty of exclusion from the next State
convention for failure to observe It.
But this Is not the only way In which
the late convention distinguished Itself In
predecessors.
II did not undertake to cover the cntlr5
field Of legislation In advance of the Sos.
sion OF the body created by the organic law
to look after the statutes. I'm this as In the
primary matter the convention was In ac-
cord with public sentiment. at the same
time setting good precedent Past con.
ventions have placed themselves In a posi-
ton to he discreditcd by attemptlnc to
shape legislation on all sorts Of subjects
through their platforms only to ind them
subsequently disregarded. They have IN
private demands in the garb Of party dec
larations OF principles with the Inevitable
result that they were repudistcd A great
majority of the democratic voters Of the
state have always been opposed to the In
discriminate loading dowl Of he platform
with long string Of p1nks devoted to OK.
plotting propositions, many ~ which were
OF into rest IN no one save those advancing
them. aui III" wishes or that majority ". 70
more than respected this time. Thc result
was n platform OF limited scope and rca.
sonahe length, unburieued BY cxtraneous
matter calculated to result In no good TO
either the State or the party.
A REPRESENTATIvE CONVENTION.
In point of attendance the late convention
may have been somewhat deficient, hnt Il
was in every sense representative and more
concerned with matters of general interest
than bound up in issues raised mostly for
the benefit Of individuals or created by the
exigencies of peculiarly personal political
situations. Stin. the convention found time
to give expression to warm feelings of APP
rreciatlei of personal merit Mt opnortune
moments. The reception II gave Judge
Reagan, for instance. WIS nm example Of
his and the manner in which It received
colonel LanhHm Its nominee for governor,
showed TINT IT had plenty of warmth for
worthy subjects in stock
ON the whole, the proceedings were re-
markablv smooth, except ON one occasion
misunderstanding
and created confusion that came near bring
ing ig about a scene. Jndse Ed I. Gray,
imagining thar he hnd been disseminated
against by Vice Chairman Miner ANA that
promised recognition to offtr an amendment
TO the platform had been denied him. took
occasion TO make vigorous protest against
the seeming injustice and threw the con
fact was that Judca Gray misunderstood
the situation and believed TINT he was he.
ing arbitrarily kept OF the floor, when m
OF the platform committees report to give
MIN a chance to get hearing.
THE QUESTION OF APPOINTMENTS.
The candidate for governor having been
nominated interest is beginning to center
around the alI-absorbing subject Of appoint
ments. Fortunately for Colonel Lannam,
he did not have much Of n contest, II in
truth he had any at all, so that he is not
likely to have drove of "orlglna' Ian
hmm men to fight Off when the pie Is
| curved But II need not be doubted but
what there will be applicants enough for
| all the places he viii have TO give out.
| Fifteen asprants for the office of sccre-
tary Of state have already made their de
| sircs TO Ill that office known, and there
are any number of patriots who think the
| positions of State purchasing agent and
state revenue agent would about measure
up to their capacity. Judge Mclean, who
! conducted Colonel Lanhnms campaign, Is
| authority for the statement that the mat
| ter OF appointments has not been consd-
| cred and viii not he until after the cleo
| ton. II is probable, however that Colonel
! Lanham has in his own mind come to a
| conclusion with regard to one or two or
| the offices With regard to the peniten-
! tiary system. for Instance, there is little
! likelihood Of n change In the personnel or
| its administration, as most Of those IN
| charge OF the AFFAIRS of the penal instltu'
tions are personal friends Of the nominee
! for governor MS wen as efficient and salts