The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1904-08-26

manager of great ability as the "bosses,
and much more and better results art
attained than would be possible 10y midi
vidual or unorganized effort on the par
of the same subordinates who now
act in accordance with their "bosses"
will This is an age of organization
and there is no reason why politica
action should be contrary to the uni
versal law The True Northerner is
frank to say that it believes in political
parties, and that every good citizen
should identify himself with the party
that comes the nearest to meeting his
own views on the great questions of the
day. We further believe that the proper
medium for the accomplishment of adj
vancement in governmental lines is
through party action.
Does the direct vote of the people
promise corruption?" demagogically asks
the Tribune. No, assuredly not. I'm
biased by improper influences, the people
can be depended upon in most instances,
although "voX populi, voX Del is by no
means an infallible maxim. But the
Tribune knows, if it knows even the rud
iments of practical politics, that the
| foulest corruption of our present system
of nominations is found in the present
primaries, where all the members of the
parties are privileged to vote, and yet
where great performers" are seldom seen
! Unless the Tribune can assure us that
more and better men will be interested in
primaries than are interested in caucuses,
we cannot concede that they will be
more honest or free from corruption.
Immediately preceding the above ques-
ton implying confidence in the people,
the Tribune refers to nominations by
"purchasable delegates in a convention"
The Tribune is wrong. The vast major
ity of the delegates in conventions are
not purchasable, and when there is
corrupt nomination, nine times out OF ten
the corruption will be found nearer the
people, in the primaries. The Tribune's
logic is as full OF holes as a skinner:
1.-The people are honest, hence the dele
gates chosen by them, their trusted
leaders, are purchasable." No sane
man believes il, and the Tribune should
take something for its pessimism and
distrust of the man who happens to be
prominent enough to be trusted by his
neighbors with the importanta and respon-
sible duties of a convention delegate.
AS to fraud and corruption, there is
more of it in Wayne and Kent county
politics than in all the rest of the state
of Michigan combined. The cities are
the hotbed of this kind of politics, and
the clean, pure stream of rural delegates
in state conventions washes away many
of the sins of city politics. Detroit
elected delegates to the last republican
state convention in primary elections,
not caucuses, and if the Detroit press is
to be believed, their choice was not free
from fraud. Under a system of direct
nominations of state officers, the cities
would be the dominating factor in max
ing the tickets, and the influence of rural
counties would surely be divided and
minimized, if not entirely nullifed, and
we do not believe this would tend to
pure politics; and from all nominations
the factor of second choice would be en-
tirely eliminated.
The recent trial of primary nomina-
tons in the city of Grand Rapids only
confirms US in the idea that such sys.
TEN is by no means panacea for exist
ing political ills.
Detroit is the metropolis of the state,
and as such naturally has the leading
newspapers of the state, and those of the
largest circulation. Unfortunately for
the good government of the state, some
of these newspapers are in politics "for
what there is in it." and it is generally
supposed that the almighty dollar" has
a power in the shaping Of their editorial
policy SO far as the support of candi-
dates for nomination to public Office is
concerned Next comes Grand Rapids,
and the water scandals revealed the fact
that some of the newspapers of the
second city are not above the influence
of money. Here and there over the state
will be found purchasable newspapers
fully as great percentage as of pur-
chasable delegates-and the power they
could exercise over primaries in the
great centers of population would be
enormous.
There never was scheme that opened
up so wide an opportunity for graft to
venal press as the so-called primary
reform
The True Northerner is now, and long
has been, in favor of law controlling
the primaries, in fact, of replacing the
present primaries (the caucuses) with
party elections for delegates, held at the
same time all over the state, exactly in
harmony with the present republican
state platform, and we would be perfect
ly satisfied to see the law permit counties
70 odopt tho cvctauo ~ d;root ,o,,;u.