The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-03-11


The State League of Republican
Clubs ascending out stereotyped reso-
luton which It wishes republican con-
ventions everywhere in the state to
adopt This resolution embodies the
Leagues purposes to secure the total
abolition of all political caucuses and
conventions for the nomination OF
officers, and substitute therefor the
nomination at a primary election upon
the same day by direct vote of all candi-
dates of all parties Passing by the un-
sustained charge that the league has
passed under the control and direction
of candidate for governor who by the
notorious use of paid agents has failed
before two conventions to convince the
rank and file of the party that he
would be suitable nominee. we can in
quire, with all due recognition of the
superior wisdom of the young men who
are running the league, what they are
going to substitute for the republican
party when they get their conventions
and caucuses nicely interreds OF
course they expect to maintain some
sort of party organization, and we pre-
sumo they have fine manilzin already
constructed, with the bones muscle,
cartilage and nerves carefully arranged
! (the league being long on nerve, we UNI
derstand), only waiting to inject the
| Of fnfn Of
the old organization that has limped
| along in more or less successful fashion
since certain dav in 1854 under the
oaks at Jackson, has been deeply buried.
We presume this automaton has been
invented, and that the league knows
that it will work" but nobody has yet
told us just what it is like. Is it to be
a sort of nondescript, trusting to luck
or the league to keep it moving, or does
the league itself intend to supersede the
political entity we still call the repub-
lican party of Michigans
Because when the convention and the
caucus are gone we shall still need-or
in our ignorance we think we shall still
need-the state central committee and
a state central committee with a
secretary, treasurer, executive commit
tee, ETC., district committees and chair
men, etc, county committees and chair
men, ETC., township committees and
chairmen, etc., city committees and
chairmen, etc precinct committees and
chairmen, etc. and so on. Naturally,
all conventions and caucuses will have
been discarded as obsolete, and the
direct voting millennium will be i'll full
swing under the Australian ballot sys-
tenn; therefore provision must have been
made by the league for the continuance
and selection f these essential working
bodies, in order to keep the thing which
now stands as the party from falling to
pieces. No doubt the wise young men
of the league are business men or pro-
fessional men, and are quite aware that
no movement, business or enterprise
can be kept running successfully for
long without well trained organiza
ton and watchful minds and steady
han DIS. 1t is possible that all these sup
posedly necessary adjuncts to organized
political efforts are to be selected when
the candidates are nominated. No
doubt the league has anticipated this
objection, but it seems to us that doing
all this on one day for all parties is 60
ing to prove something of stunt for
the voter.
Suppose that there are a dozen men
who would like to be governor (there
are always more than that) in each of,
say, three parties and a dozen who
wish to be lieutenant governor; and a
dozen who wish to be secretary of state;
dozen aspirants, in fact. for each state
office twelve or fifteen-and dozen
for each county Office, and dozen for
each township Office, and dozen for
each city Office and ward Office, and for
congressman, for state senators and re-
representatives., and then. in presidential
years for each Office of elector, at large
and by districts, dozen for each place
on the state, congressional, county, leg
islative, township, city, ward and pre-
cinct committees, and for a lot of mis-
cellaneous Offices no man ever remem-
'bers as existing until he gets to the
polls-all these multiplied by three, to
represent each party (there are general
ly not less than FIVE parties in principal
elections) suppose this not unlikely list
shall confront the voter on nomination
day. Will he drop his Australian ballot
IA yards long and FIVE wide-with a
dull sickening thud and flee affrighted
to the tall timber-or, what9
AS we have remarked, we presume
the State Republican League has pro-
vided for all these little contingencies
and that therefore it is foolish for us to
worry, but we would feel treasured and
better satisfied with the leagues plan of
reforming the primaries if it would
give us hint of how it is going to do
it.
\ The st. Louis Independent of last
week published very meritorious arti-