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

machine Even in other states this
seems to be the whole trouble. A demo
cratic paper in Ohio when picked up
just the other day had not single word
against Roosevelt-all was tirade
against the Ohio state machine. .
That was what must be defeated and so
here in Michigan we have the entire
campaign fought by the democrats on
the platform that the machine" must
be defeated and that we must have a
democratic governor and primary re-
form. 1t is strange spectacle All
their national policies discredited among
themselves and abandoned-imperial-
ism, free silver, and free trade, and
nothing but what they are trying to
make local issues, and little sectional
fights against machine" left to inspire
them for great national campaignl
And what has been the experience
of the republican party under this sys-
tenn which they are trying here in
Michigan to tear DOWN.
For fifty years we have had a conven-
tion system in Michigan. Our party,
the grand old republican party, was or
ganized by convention here in this
very state. If it had not been for this
convention system there would never
have been such party organized. And
what has been its history under this
same convention system2 The vote
and the majorities of the eparty in the
state have grown year after year and
the party has become stronger and more
united year after year. No wonder
that the democratic party wishes a
change! What has it got to lose from
tearing down a system under which the
republican party has grown to such
strength? But the republicans After
they have sailed with the charts of the
founders of the party for their guide
through so many glorious years, are
they willing to launch out on unknown
seas with only democrat for pilot?
Let it not be thought either that all
democrats are united for the abolition
of conventions. Some republicans favor
the primary system, most oppose it,;
some democrats are in favor of the
change, many of the best of them how
ever are opposed to it. There is no
complete unanimity there in regard to
the matter. Willard Stearns, the able
editor of the democratic Adrian Press
opposes the new scheme vigorously and
points out many of the defects which
have already been found in the measure.
No state except some of the southern
democratic states have adopted this
plan in full though Minnesota employs it
in much of her political working system.
And yet with almost no practical know
ledge of the working of the system the
democrats of Michigan, who declare in
one plank for "home rule" would in
another plank force this new system on
to every section of the state without
any regard to whether it wished it or
not. We hold our county, state sena-
torial, congressional, state. and nation
al conventions, and every man who at
tends, whether as a delegate or as a
spectator, goes away with renewed en-
thusiasm and faith in his party and it's
candidates. The abolition of the con-
vention would tend .to,;disorganize the
party. In this as already said, the
democrats have nothing to lose. But
should we, who have much to lose,
adopt this new plan without seeing how
it will work?
In Minnesota, in a certain district a
man was nominated for congress on the
republican ticket. He was an out and
out free trader who could never have
been nominated under a convention
system. He was distasteful to the vast
majority of the republicans yet under
the primary law he was declared the
nominee of the party although the vote
he received was only eleven per cent of
the republican vote and there was no
way of telling what part of even that
eleven per cent was actually cast by
democrats who took that means of
foisting an undesirable candidate on
the republican ticket. In the same
state Ex-Mayor Ames of Minneapolis,
who fled from the state to avoid arrest
for crimes, man who has been con-
victed of part of these same crimes
and had secured an order from the
supreme court for new trial merely on
a technicality-a man who is now un-
der ten separate indictments for crimes
committed while mayor of Minneapolis,
this man with this record would be
scorned in any republican convention
in America, came near being nominated
for congress on the republican ticket,
undoubtedly by the aid of democratic
votes and against the rwishu6f every
decent republican In the district, by a
primary reform systeml Is that the
kind of law Michigan republicans
want2 Take our own state, where in
Kent and Wayne counties we already
have in operation the system which the