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

has been In some way betrayed, and the de-
i etSiQu OF the majority In fact reversed. liz Is
/ inevitable that he should as a serious mind
Ga eitlzen refuse turtner 20 participate IN
| the farceiaI proceedings. II is this that has
driven the majority Of the voters from the
| caucus uatti II Is onir in times of profound
| public concern and Intense public feeling
that even respectable minority OF the
voters are represented In the caucus and
convention system. The largest attendance
/ upon cancnses in the history OF political
! contests In Wisconsin resulted In polling
less than forty per cent. OF those entitled
| TO vote, and In Macy counties as much as
ninety Fer cent Of tue naftS vote failed 20
Public interests are certain to fare badly
when there exist conditions, either as the
result OF legislation or for want OF 1t, which
| eliminates from participation In government
| majority of the citizens In a democracy.
The evil consequences sure to follow from
such a situation are twofold. In the effect
upon the citizen, and the effect upon the
II the caucus and convention system oper-
ates 70 exclude majority OF the voters
from taking part in making the nomination
II abridges the right of suffrage. ii weakens
the voters interest and affection for the
state, u insttlls apprehension and suspicion
MIN rtslect 10 that government which the
eiuzen comes more and more to feel is not
! ms government. and depriyes the state OF
that loyalty and devotion which Is nour-
ished in unhcation OF interests born ont OF
the largest measure Of direct personal partl-
eipation possible in representative democ-
racy. This Is but another way of saying
that the basic principle Of democracy Is
personal responsibility; that there ear be
no personal responsibility unless the voters
are ''partakers In the government"
Voters Rights Impaired.
Compelling the citizen to hand his SOW.
efeign right TO vote directly for the candt'
dates of his choice, ovcf 10 some caucus
delegate TO be turned over to some coli zen.
tion delegate to barter for something for
| himself, impairs the voters right of suf-
frage, and its evil effects in representative
4 government are more Strikingly manifest
| In the actions of the public official than OF
| the private citizen.
The official well understands that his nom
| nation through convention delegates In
| variabiy Is secured without the consent OF
majority of the voters Of his party, or,
indeed without the consent OF even fair
| minority OF his party He well knows the
| value Of the powerful influence of public
service corporations through the caucus anu
convention, and this knowledge bears
! strongly upon his official action. He rea-
sons that under ordinary circumstances the
| unlimited use of money. the support of
/ nufchasabie newspapers. the maintenance
through the WASH resources Of such corpora.
i tons, VIII, under ordinary circumstances
enable him 10 succeed in politics.
No man can have witnessed the protract-
| ed struggle in this state to secure legisIs,-
tion equalizing the burdens Of taxation. no
man can have witnessed the defeat Of bills
| increasing the taxation of the railroads to
| share, and escape the conviction that the
present method OF selecting candidates for
| 0.bce is radically defective. 1t cannot be
sea ousiy doubted that under a system Of
nominations by direct vote of the people,
their influence upon the official could no.
fail to be very much more pronounced ana
direct. He would wen understand that In
order to secure their approval and support
to continue him I'm public life, he must win
that approval upon the merit of his record
| in their service. He would know that every
Ngie east, every act as representative ia
aid OF measures or opposed to measures af.
/ feeting the public interest, would be can
yassed and reviewed when he came to seek
denominations; hence, his record as a public
official would be made day by day with THAI
| sense of personal responsibility, arising
from knowledge of direct and certain
accountability to the people, pointing the
This IS the one thing needful in repub-
| lican form OF government, and the one
thing which cannot be dispensed with ia
any. of the affairs of life where one man
| performs services for another No trust
| would be safe unless the trustee knew that
/ he would be required to render an account
of his stewardship to one having authority
1 TO terminate it.. In no other trust positions
/ are the opportunities for evading Response.
| bility SO many or the temptations for be-
| trayal so great and the likelihood of con,
/ fusing ana belonging the issue so favorable
as ln, the, public service. Hence it is i'm
perative that the trustee be required to ac-
| count directly TO those whom he represents
in the discharge of his trust.
Bargains, Deals and Bribery.
This is the fatal defect in the caucus and
| convention system Of selecting candidates
!! TO be elected to office. Even II men chosen
as delegates in the caucuses and eonveii-
4 lions were never guilty of willful and cor
rupt betrayal of trust, If bargains and
deals and bribery could be eliminated new
ertheless the entire plan should be >abol-
| ished because 1t removes the nomination
too far from the voter, the trustee too far
| from him for whom he bears the trust the
| agent too far from the principal Every
/ transfer OF delegated power weakens ab.
! thority and diminishes responsibility until
the candidate nominated represents moth
ing that the voter wanted, feels under no
obligation to the voter for his nomination,
nor is he directly accountable to him for
/ his acts as public official,
The momenfous Importance of dscardina
| the delegate system and securing the per-
sonal responsibility Of the official TO the
! citizen is rapidly coming TO be accepted
through the country; Already legislation
/ direct vote of the people has been applied
| in making nominations in a dozen different
states. while the Legislatures Of twenty.
two others have taken hold of the subject
| In an earnest way within the two lasr
wars. The demand for direct nominations
was recognized in the platforms OF both
| political parties In several states In the re-
| cent campaign, and the progressive move
ment IS commanding strong support
throughout the country.
To secure o more direct expression of the
| will OF the people In all things pertaining 10
the peoples government Is the dominating
| thought IN American politics today. The
| citizen will no longer surrender TO delegate,
agent, or substitute, any political control
which he may properly exercise for himself
| He understands that In some matters per
/ taining TO government ne must be repre-
! scented by a public servant The citizen Is
! resolved to participate directly wherever he
/ can, and in all matters where he must be
1 represented by another. to bring that repre-
sentative as near TO him as possible. The
/ fundamental principle upon which this gov
| eminent was established can no longer be
suhyerted. No more striking manifestation
= of this could be found than In the current
Volume of the Congressional Record. For
| the first time in history. the House of Rep
vote. and sent to the Senate resolution
/ for the election Of United States senaors by
direct vote. The spirit of democracy Is
abroad In the land. Government is to be
| brought back to the people.
! The nomination OF all candidates by d.
4 rect vote under the Australian ballot should
/ appeal to the patriotism of all legislators
and lift them above partisan and personal
prejudice, in a united effort to give the
| public officials truly representative of pub
! lie interests; In restoring to the people In
! full measure this principle of pure demo-
! cratic government. This is required par
! ton which be made binding upon the
/ honor of the representatives of any political
{ party in the public service.
Issues Rather Than Individuals.
| Since the adoption of the federal eonsti
/ tuition, government in this country has been
! through the agency OF some political party.
/ Political parties are not organized or main
tanned upon the personality or strength OF
individuals, but around certain deep-seAted
ideas which lay hold of the convictions Of
/ men, These ideas when formulated and
/ proclaimed become the partys dec.dration
/ OF principles. its promise to perform, This
/ declaration of principles. this promise 10
/ perform is Of the highest Importance to
each citizen. When so proclaimed 1t en-
! ahles him 10 determine his party utilization
| He well understands that one political par
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