Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-04
A LAsr WORD WirH REPUBLlcANs.

tIdl lut CONCURRENT VIII OF " DOllllCdl
party expressed by direct vote in pri-
mary elections and conventions is NOR
ally binding upon all loyal men of the
same political faith. In other words.
when the will Of the majority Of the
party isiexpressed fairly through a nomi-
mating convention its candidates are en-
titled to the support of the rank and
file. When. however, the primary cleo
tons are dominated by coercion. corrup-
ton and fraud and the voice Of the party
Is stiied and it's machinery used TO foist
upon the ticket candidates who do not
represent the choice Of the majority, the
action Of the convention is of 10 binding
force. ~
Fraud ~vitiates all contracts. This
principle applies as much in politics as
1t does in business. Twenty years ago
a candidate for the office of state treas
urer. counted I'm by fraud in the repub-
lican state convention. was repudiated
by the rank and file and defeated by
5000 majority, while the other candi-
dates on the same ticket were elected by
10000. The conscience of the party as
serted itself by administering a rebuke
to fraud and for years thereafter the
lesson taught was not forgotten by Ne
braska republicans.
1t is an open secret that the nomina-
ton of David H. Mercer for a sixth term
in congress does not represent the un-
trammeled will of n majority of tho
party, but ON the contrary was dictated
to and forced upon the party by the rail
road corporations and their allied de-
pendents, supplemented by a horde of
imported nonresidents voted at the pri-
mary on perjured affidavits. Any an
dldate who secures his nomination by
such means has no legitimate claim upon
honest republicans. If republicans en-
dorse the lawless methods by which
Mercer was nominated and tamely sub
NIT to the %autocratic dictation of cor
poration managers the same tactics will
be pursued again and again and party
conventions will cease to represent the
free will of the majority and simply
register the edicts of corporation mag
mates. who are republicans in republican
states and democrats in democratic
states.
From the local republican point of
view Mercer has no claims upon the sup
port of the active party workers past or
present. He is the most supremely self
ish and ungrateful man who has ever
peer honored with public Office. He has
never assisted any other candidate by
word or work, he has never contributed
to the election of any other republican,
but in all former campaigns has been a
deadhead, even when he was himself
running. In the present campaign he
and his manager have done nothing ex-
cept for Mercer, and are trying to trade
off everybody else on the ticket from
top to bottom for Mercer.
The plea that the reelection of Mercer
is essential to republican supremacy in
national affairs is groundless. The poll
cies inaugurated under Mckinley cannot
be disturbed so long as republicans ON
troll the senate and so long as Roosevelt
occupies the White House. No change
can be made in u money standard or
in the tariff without the concurrence of
senate and president. No change a be
| made in the government of the Philip
pines without the concurrence of senate
and president. Congress has made am
pie provision for acquiring the Panama
canal and prosecuting the work of con-
struction, and 1t will take several years
to complete the public buildings, war
ships. etc, projected and under way.
MERGERS continuance in congress as
chairman of the committee on public
buildings is of no moment whatever to
the people of this district, however I'M
portant he may be as trading material
for railroad corporations and trusts in
promoting schemes in which they are
interested.
All indications point to the control of
the next house by the republicans by a
decisive majority without Mr.. Mercer.
1t is for republicans who desire to re-
generate the party and reinstate it in
popular confidence to assert their indie
pendence by placing patriotism above
~partisanship and registering with their
votes a protest against Mercer and mer-
cenary methods In politics.