Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1903-01-21

the members Of its organization and make
It.em pubic ofncials TO execute the will ef
/ tiie ihagoritI. Upon the public official then
there falls the full weight of this double
obligation. He represents the individual
/ citizen ia person. He = the custodian Of
! the party honor. He cannon plav fast and
/ 100 with clearly understood personal aad
| parl oDlgations and maintain a semblanee
q oIhciai integrity. He has NO more moral
! right TO bubble and evade Is say thar
l ne VII perform part and repudiate some
/ 81 the SPECIFIC promises OF the party than
| ne would have TO Use In part trust funds
committed to his ks~ ping. III this be connt
| 60 TOO exact z stan6 OF public duty 10
| day. be sure that il win NOT be So regarded
| tomorrow: The citizen Is being rapfiIy
| sehooled by experience throughout the en-
IRE country, aud is fast acquiring definite
| lucas OF the right relation OF the political
| pin,H TO government OF the citizen TO his
/ political party, and the duty of the public
otilciai e the citizen, 10 his party aud 10
II government In Wisconsin is representa-
4 i've. then the people Of the state have
| pointed the way for us with reference TO
| the enactment of law for the nomination
/ Of oil candidates by direct vote as We'll as
| the enactment of law that shall equa!lze
me, ,ne burdens Of taxation No question has
| been more thoroughly presented aud more
| inteiligently passed upon In any form Of
government. For years Il had been dis
cussed from the platform and in the press
| OF the state until IL became thoroughlp
1 Wen understood In every community and
| every household. Ii was made the subject
4
| OF both parties In this state as early as
| 1898. the Democratic convention declal lny
In unequlyoeal terms for the nomination
| OF all candidates by direct vote. the Re-
| publican convention declaring for legisla,
ton which should give the citizen more
direct expression of his will in the nom
ination Of candidates for Office
| Not vote, However, was cast I'm the
Legislature OF 1870 for the ena, tment of
| a law giving the people the opportunity 10
select their candidates by direct vote
Dno1tn xxY.,,
! The discussion of this subject, SO doevly
/ interesting to the voters of Wisconsin con
tnued, aud the convention OF the ma tOrity
| party In 1900 unanimously adopted r plat
| form declaring for the nomination of all
| candidates hy direct vote upon the same
! day under the Australian ballot Pro
Tossing want of confidence In the re-
liability of the declarations made In con
/ yentton expressing doubt whether such
| declaration registered the actual will of
| the voters represented in the convention
fearful lest tie deman as recorded was In
| Iact only recommendation, and the recon-
| mendation in truth the result of misunder-
| standing, 1t was deemed justihable TO re-
| fer the entire subject again to the people
| OF the state and once more ask them to
| proclaim their will.
Since then every phase of the question Las
been under consideration. every object. IN
| has been urged with all the force and insist,
! ence While perfect organization and unlttu
! tied resource could furnish through news
| papers, pamphlets, letters, and personal APP
| peals, and vet the voters of the majority
! party, speaking their Will through the only
| medium provided, declared by platform
resolutions their demand for the nomina-
| ton of all their candidates by direct vote
| and ratified that demand by overwhelming
maJorities In the late election. Imperfect
/ though the caucns and convention be as a
| medium for registering the wishes of the
! voter we come to the determination of this
| question with no opportunity to put aside
| the responsibility placed upon us by the un.
mistakable commands of those who have
| commissioned us to represent them In public
office. Upon every phase of the question
| concerning which the people have spoken
1 " we recognize the principle upon which
our government is founded, we have no dis.
erection. With respect to every question
not passed upon by the people we are
4 authorized TO exercise gu" best judgment In
representing their interests But when 1t
has been proclaimed and proclaimed again.
so that there can be no possibility of doubt
\ respecting their desire, TO Ignore it, or to
| refuse to execute the expressed win of the
majority legally. recorded, is to violate and
/ tFample under foot every principle OF gov
| eminent whiah makes the perpetuity of
| representative democracy at all possible.
| | submit, therefore, that Ii is not for us
| to determine what shall be the scope Of a
law to nominate candidates by direct vote
| This has been settled by the people of Wis
consin, to whom the matter has been re-
| ferred and referred again. They have de
| termlned that cali candidates for state, leg.
| slative, congressional and county Offices
shall lie nominated at a primary election
| upon the same day by direct vote under
| the Australian ballot"
The voters Of Wisconsin are an Intelligent,
! thoughtful body of men They are entirely
| capable of passing upon the question and
deciding for themselves whether they dc,
| sire the nomination of all or only q part
of their candidates by direct vote without
| the intervention or interference of any dele
| gates or conventions They understand
| that If there Is any reason for their taking
| charge of the nomination Of their own can
didates for office, that those reasons andy
| equally we'll to their taking charge of the
| nomination of all their candidates for of
/ fee. They understand that this is particu-
| larly true of those candidates which have
| to do with the making Of the laws and
| with the execution and administration OF
those laws when made They realize that
under our system the point where govern
| ment fails Is always the point of attack
where interests are conflicting.
Influence of Corporations.
/ The overbalancing control which the pub
| lie service col poration Is exerting in gov
eminent today does not affect In any
marked degree the performance of official
| duty on the part of county officers And
| ii will reform no abuse In legislation IN
sure no better execution Of the laws by
! those charged with their execution and adj.
mlnistration, to provide fol the nomination
| Of county officers by direct vote: but the
| influence and power of such corporations is
dangerously manifest In the making and
execution Of the laws, and In the defeat OF
| legislation affecting the interests of the
state and the individual citizen as well
Out of these existing and well recognized
| conditions has grown the conviction. gain
| ing In strength year by year with the pco.
! pie of Wisconsin, that the nominations of
| senators and assemblymen, of state Of
| hcers and members of Congress by direct
| vote VIII insure a government where the
1 interests of the corporations and the citl-
zens will stand upon footing of absolute
equality.
| II in the face of the demand which has
i come from tie people of this state again
! and again for law that shall provide for
! the nomination of all candidates by direct
! vote, there is to be opposition, 1t Will come
ever form it may take. in whatever guise
| 1t comes, whatever strength 1t may mani |
| fest, behind it will be the public-service
corporations OF this state. Realizing that
the time is past when this legislation can
| he wholly defeated. their effort may be ii |
rected to limit, in so far as may be, the APP |
plication and scope OF the legislation, I'M |
pair the efficiency of the law as passed, |
and preserve as much Of the present sys- |
TEN of making nominations through dele |
gates possible. Their Interests are best |
subseryed through { c caucus and corr, en- |
ton, and it has bee e an important func- |
ton of their politica. departments to con |
/ troll nominations through caucus and con /
veDtion delegates thus securing men who /
will when elected serve them without ques- I
ton Hence, effort may be made to carry /
some portion of the present bad nominating I
system past the present session OF the Leg I
islature In the hope that so much of IL rs |
survives this biennial term may be Ia |
definitely perpetuated in the state.
The suggestion of such proposition y I
legislature, under such specific Instructions |
respecting measure, serves to Illustrate I
how lightly tho.e who make 1t regard the /
obligation Of the public official, when nomi +
mated by caucus an3 convention delegates, I
with respect to the wishes Of his constlt- I
uents or the promises upon which he was |
elected to serve them. If such an attempt /
were to succeed, It could only intensity the /