Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-01-10
Practical
Politics
uI.-Party Machinery.
WILLIAM H. HINRICHSEN

\ the management OF its affairs
is usually intrusted to a mum.
her Of committees selected by the vot-
1s themselves or by their representa-
41ves in the party conventions.
These committees have such powers
rs are conferred by the voters or con
ventions or which custom has given
them. In some states political COM
m1ttees are recognized by law, but in
others they are ignored. On the whole,
4 political committee may be said to
derive it's authority from the support
OF majority Of the members Of its
party, and obedience to it's DEGREES is
purely voluntary.
Each political division authorized to
elect public officer or a group Of pub
lie officers has or should have it's com.
mfttee, although the duties of the com
mittees in certain cases are only nOmi-
nal, as some Of them merely exist for
the purpose Of keeping up a perma-
nent organization.
What are known as regular working
committees are or should be four in
number, as follows: A precinct COM
mtttee for each precinct, a county COM
mittee for each county, state commit
tee for each state or territory and the
District of Columbia, a national COM
m1ttee for the whole country.
A precinct committee may consist of
one or more members and is usually
selected directly or indirectly by the
voters Of the precinct.
This committee, though the lowest
In rank, is very important one and
In practical work the most important
OF all Its duties are to call the pre-
e1nct primaries, conventions or eau
euses, fixing the time and place, al
though it is customary to follow the
suggestions Of the county committee
In such matters.
1t is usually charged with making
the poll Of the precinct, looking after
the registration, getting out the vote,
mana ging purely local meetings and
reporting to the county committee all
matters in the precinct requiring at
tention and to perform any other work
assigned to it by the county committee.
In some places it has other duties, but
lack of uniformity prevents a descrip-
ton.
The County Committee.
A county committee has charge of
all county matters. 1t should consist
OF at least one member from each
voting precinct in the county unless
the county contains very large city,
where a special organization is re-
CURED.
The members Of the committee are,
as rule, selected by the voters in
each precinct according to custom or
In obedience to formal action of the
county convention or Of the committee
itself.
The duties Of the county committee
are to call the county conventions, tx
Ing time and place Of meeting and the
number of delegates to which each pre-
cinct is entitled or to call primary elec-
tons and make rules for their conduct;
to prepare and distribute literature Of
a local character; to manage county
meetings; to furnish speakers for local
meetings.; to look after naturalization,
the instruction of voters, etc.; to adj
cinct committees; to report to the
state committee from time to time the
condition of the party and to perform
such service within the county as may
be ordered or suggested by the state
or national committee.
The state committee, as it's name i'm
plies has charge Of party affairs
o+o% %c Gin ic
lated by custom or by resolution Of the
state convention. In the larger states
1t Is made up Of a representative from
each congressional district, with some
times several members at large. In
other states some smaller unit, such as
the county or the legislative district,
is selected upon which to base the
representation.
Usually the state committee is &C.
cepted by all other committees in the
state as supreme in all matters polit-
1cal not purely local. It issues insuuc-
tons of general character to all local
committees, furnishes speakers and
documents and decides controversies.
It directs the campaign as regards
also, as a rule, assists in the cam
paigns Of congressional and legislative
candidates.
The National Committee.
The national committee Of a party
Is, as it's name indicates, the supreme
head of the organization. 1t is chosen
by the national convention at the same
time that the candidates for president
and vice president are nominated and
holds Office for four years. 1t consists
of one member from each state and
territory and one from the District OF
Columbia. The delegates to the ma
tional convention from the states, ter
ritories and district usually nominate
these committeeman. The committee's
powers are, as rule, limited only by
the laws of the land, and it's duties are
as numerous as it chooses to make
them. While obedience to it's orders
from committees of smaller jurisdic
tion is voluntary, yet such orders arr
seldom ignored. Its influence is i'm
vnonse dre in great mea Sure to thu