Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-03-31

IHE PILOT likes to see fair play as
Well IN political as in religious, social or
business affairs. Just now the half
breed element of the republican party
IS saying very harsh things about A. L.
hreutzer, State Senator from this dis
trict, because of his Tote on the primary
election bill last week. The PILoT IS
not in accord with Seu6tor Kreutzer,
politically, but it does .-sOE ~I0W he
has stood upon this question non the
outset, and knows that he has been
consistent and has not failed 10 carry
out his pledges, hence has no hesitation
In saying that the criticisms are unjust
and uncalled for and cannot help but
react greatly in favor of the senator.
The convention that nominated Sena-
ator kreutzer was held on the 18th day
OF September, 1902, almost two months
after the republican state convention
was held, and when the platform was
adopted providing that all caueuSes and
conventions should be abolished. The
state platform was not adopted at Sen
atOr kreutzer's convention for the rea-
son that he refused to stand upon it so
far as the primary election plank was
concerned. His convention adopted
the following platform as to primary
election:
I0at We may nave any primary election law
which will improve our present caucus and
convention laws and that will give each and
every voter the best opportunity to express his
choice in the nomination of candidates.
III his speech of acceptance referring
to the primary election law he said:
$50 far as the primary election law is con-
eerned stand for a conservative measure that
would keep the party together, not divided.
introduced a substitute in the legislature that
would carry our the principles of primary cleo
ton and give every man chance toyote directly
for the delegates and for candidates and l am
Informed that substitute is acceptable to the
men and to the officers who originated the
theory"
The question naturally arises whether
the state platform should govern or
whether the instructions given to the
senatorial candidates in their conven-
tons should govern. In the case of
Senator Kreutzer, his convention nomi-
mated him knowing that he was opposed
to extending the principle as far as the
Stevens bill In offering the substitute
he did to bill ga last week, he went
good deal farther than he had pledged
himself to do because the bill he offered
two years ago did not abolish conven-
tions of the assemblymen and senator's
In the present bill all caucuses and con-
ventions are abolished with the excep-
ton only of the state and congressional
conventions, but all delegates to these
conventions are nominated on the same
day, at the same time that all the other
county, city and legislative candidates
are nominated 1t would seem that if
the half-hreeds are honest in desiring to
have the principle, for primary election
enacted into law, they would have
accepted this entirely fair bill intro
duced by Senator Kreutzer BY not
accepting it and then attempting to
charge him with the lack of good faith
smatters too much of politics. and we
are constrained to believe under all the
circumstances the reason why this bill
was not accepted was to keep up this
political fight and agitation within the
party and for the sake of an issue
While Senator Krentzer belongs to the
republican party he is a citizen of this
county and we know him to be a man
of honesty and integrity and would not,
under any circumstances, violate any
pledge that he may have entered into.
We understand, if the truth were
known, that q large majority of the
half-breeds, if not all, who have been
advocating this principle are in favor of
Senator Kreutzer's bill, with the ex-
ception possibly of the Governor him.
self; that at conference of men in high
positions in the party held recently, it
is understood that all were with Senator
KreutZer and that the principles laid
down by him in his bill wer Nerfectly
satisfactory.