Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-05-31
unlocked for, relating to a third ex-officio

unlocked for, relating to third ex-oficio
party convention:
'Section %. The congressional COM
mittee of each district shall meet with
the nominee at the hall of it's chairman
as soon as may be after the nomination
has been declared and formulate a plat
form for such congressional nominee and
district.
This was the smallest of the three
stated party conventions provided for in
the bill to which have called attention.
1t was to be held to formulate a plat
form for the congressional nominee and
his district. In view of the control given
to the candidate for Congress over his
district committee, under section "a Of
the bill, to which | called attention in q
former communication, it is fair to pre-
sumo that the meetings of his convention
would be characterized by unanimity of
thought and action.
1.-THE cumulative proxy voting Of the
members of the city, county, Assembly
and state central committees was a fea-
ture Of the bill which l should call con-
vention-lke. 1t was, to say the least, a
most interesting addition to the powers
usually exercised by such committees.
In all meetings of the state central COM
mittee there was allowed to each men,
Der thereof one vote for every 100 bal
lots or major fraction thereof, cast by his
party in his county at the last preceding
presidential election In all meetings of
the central committee of the city, county
or Assembly district, 'one vote for every
twenty-five votes or major fraction there
of, cast by his party in his precinct (elec-
ton district at the last general election,
was allowed. Each Of such committee
men was allowed at least one vote re-
CARELESS of the size of his party vote in
his county or election district. / have not
been able to reconcile this excess Of vot-
ing power vested In these central commit
tees with any accepted exposition of the
much-talked-of platform pledge, or with
any deliverance of the recognized au-
thorities on the Stevens bill, which have
come to my knowledge. With an illus
tration, which may furnish food for
thought, l leave it. 1t is understood that
the basis of representation in the ne,ct
Republican state convention is one dele
gate for every $50 votes ormajor fraction
thereof, cast at the last general election
in the district sending the delegate. In
Rock county there were S249 votes cast
for the last Republican presidential cam
didate. Accordingly, about thirty-four
delegates will be accredited to Rock
county in the next state convention, so
that thirty-four men will cast one vote
each to represent S249 Republican voters
In meeting of the state central commit
tee, held under section "a of the Stevens
bill. one committeeman might have cast
eighty-two votes to represent the same
number of Rock county Republicans
This should call one of the absolutely
new provisions of which there were adj
mitted to be some in the Stevens bill
Presented Three Propositions.
''The Stevens biD presented, in the
main, three propositions: "a A plan Of
selecting nominees to be voted for at the
primary election; (2) form Of ballot to
be used and a method to be pursued at
the primary election; (3l a party COM
mittee system. I have addressed m useif In
this discussion thus far to these three
propositions, without calling attention to
the clerical matters or details necessarily
found in bill of this general scope.
tried to understand the bill when it's
| three-fold character was under considera-
ton in the Legislature and to foresee
what would be the outcome were three
such propositions once incorporated into
our law.
From the beginning to the end of the
discussions of the bill one of these propo-
sitions was held to be quite indispensa-
bic as the other two. 1t was urged that,
if either one of these propositions were
rejected, the whole bill was emasculated.
A primary election system had been pre-
sented said the friends of the bill, for
acceptance or rejection as whole. The
speaker who opened the debate used
these words:
1--WE ask that the Stevens bill be
passed substantially in it's present form
Then he sounded this note of warning
1t should not be poisoned by
amendments destroying it's force, or linn
iting its scope and with his next breath
he urged: If this proposed law has enc
mics in this Legislature or out of it, who
believe that it is not based upon sound
principles, let them stand out in the
open and fight it squarely. They have
a right to their opinions If they are
10y al W luciI NOnflCtiOuS, lucy Will COu-
sent to no COMPROMISED
Yssue Joined on the Bill.
"It was in the air that no compromise
bill would ever be offered, or considered,
or accepted. The issue was joined on
the Stevens bill, as offering a primary
election system, simple, inexpensive,
complete, which would overthrow the
machine purify politics and elevate the
general character of the men called to
the management of public affairs.
have found it necessary to refer to these
claims made for the bill by its friends
and to quote some of the utterances Of
the advocates of the bill, and In so
doing I have been actuated by no cap
tious spirit. I have tried merely to car
ry out the purpose which I set for my
self at the beginning-to bring to light
all the facts within my knowledge relat-
ing to the Stevens bill and to the con-
troversy which sprang up over it in the
last Legislature.
JOHN M. WHITEHEAD"
GAINESVILLE, Wis, May 1S.