The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-09-30

nomin ate a democratic candidate
against him. This year still more
striking example is to be seen in the
workings of the law in the same city.
Perhaps no greater hue and cry has
been made against the character of any
Michigan politician than against that
of Tom Navin. If he had been elected
as a delegate to state or judicial con-
vention by a regular caucus 1T would
have been made the text for another
sermon on primary reform yet what
happened under primary reform? A
few weeks ago primary election was
held in Detroit to elect delegates to at
tend the state judicial convention.
There are four hundred voters in the
ward in which Tom Navin lives. OF
these four hundred just nine voters got
out to the primary election and Tom
Navin got eight of the nine votes!
Now take some of Kent county's pri.
mary reform! In the first place, for
the first time every candidate for coun-
ty Office is from the city. Primary
reform has cut the farmer entirely out
of representation in this county. Is
that the kind of reform" desired
Again, Prosecutor Brown, who at the
risk, at the certainty, of sacrificing his
own personal interests, has relentlessly
prosecuted the water works boodlers,
would surely have been renom-
mated by the people if assembled
in any convention where his name was
under consideration. What was his re-
ward for brilliant and honest service
under the new primary reform sys-
tem?". 1t is still uncertain whether he
has been renominated or not, his plural
ity being so small that it may be entire
ly wiped out by a recount. And yet
Deacon" Ellis, the notorious bucket
shop keeper won nomination to the
legislature with about thousand votes
to spare, man who could never have
even hoped to win nomination in any
the same county and under the same pri-
mary reform system, Senator Weeks,
one OF the most loyal supporters of the
reform" system was defeated for re-
nomination under the very reform"
system which he had so Loyalty worked
to bring into existence. Nice kind of a
reform system which defeats decent
men and nominates boodlers and buck
ct shop men who would not dare to lift
their heads in republican convention
whose members were responsible to
their constituents for the men they Sc
lected as republican standard bearersl
The truth is that no one has any right
to assume that there would be any
more people out to primaries under the
proposed new system than there are
now out to the caucuses, nor that
one unfit candidate might not re-
ceive just enough more votes than any
one of a half dozen or more worthy
candidates to nominate him. nor that
the so-called ring politicians would not
shrewdly manipulate things in counties,
otherways to secure the nomination of
men whom they could control, and that
in many cases even more easily than
under the present system, nor would
there ever be any assurance that an un-
desirable and totally unfit candidate
would not be nominated by democrat
votes, without any possibility of detec-
ton, merely for the purpose of making
it easier for them to elect their own
candidate. In every case the entire re-
sponsibility for nominations rests upon
the individual. Everything rests with
the common people in the long run. 1t
is each one of us separately and all to-
gether who are responsible
And now what is the ''machine?" In
our party we have our township, ward,
city, county, congressional, state and
national committees. Collectively we
call it our organization. The democrats
call it our machine. They have the
same committees-when they get up
interest enough to keep the lists filed
and they call it their organization. We
call it their machine" Each party
has, or aims to have, it's organization.
Each part aims to have it's organization
as complete and as efficient as possible.
The more efficient the organization
becomes however the more the opposing
party denounces its work and it's
methods as that of machine" It is
not machine" which is to be feared
or condemned. The responsibility rests
with each individual member Of party
to the full extent of his ability and in
fiuence as to the character of the
machine or organization which manages
the routine business of his party. ,I ~.
But the attack against machines" is
popular because it relieves the con-
science Of the individual from any per.
sonal blame. SO in Michigan they are
turning all their attention to the
machine" and are vilifying our candi.
date for governor, turning all their
spite for the machine" agajnst him n