The Sauk Centre herald., 1905-07-27
BIG CONVENTION.

and public press even if it ii
fallacious, how tenaciously they
cling to it and how vigorously they
assault any one who has the tenlerity
to advocate change. One OF
these popular fallacies is the big
convention idea. Ever since 1896
We have had republican conven.
tions numbering from 1900 to 1900
delegates. Prior to that time the
conventions were seldom larger
than 600. There is no question
but that the smaller conventions
did better work and nominated
more satisfactory tickets than the
larger ones have. We never had a
democratic governor until a big
convention was stampeded into
nominating men who were unaccept-
able to thousands inside the party
ranks. We never witnessed the
spectacle of one man writing the
platform for the party, introducing
it to the convention and having it
adopted by acclamation till our
conventions ceased to be delibera-
tive bodies and became 'simmense
popular gatherings" as the advo-
Gates of big conventions delight to
style them. A body of more than
500 men cannot be deliberatiye
body. If there are more than that
they cannot be SO arranged as to
see and hear what is going on
around them. In the last two con-
ventiOns there were hundreds of
delegates so situated they could
obtain no knowledge of the pro-
ceedings of the same. All they
could do was to cheer and vote
''aye."
1T has been urged that political
tricksters" and corporate interests
can control a moderate sized con-
vention much easier than large
one and political tricksters'' and
corporate influences have studiously
fostered this idea for we'll they
know that huge unweildly body
of men, packed from pit to peanut
gallery in some huge structure can
be bamboozled and led astray much
easier than more compact body
where every delegate can see and
hear and know everything that
is going on and what every other
delegate is doing. "Political
tricksters" and corporate interests
know that it is just as easy, in fact,
the task is lighter and the expense
less, to elect twenty-five favorable
delegates out of county than it ii
ten. The big convention idea was
not adopted in the first place t(
carry out the will of the party bu
to defeat it; it was not born O.
popular demand but was conceived
in Jobbery The cities wanted th'
money the big conventions woul(
spend and the ''political tricksters
and corporate interests wanted
multitude of delegates to bewilder
We would like to see the repre-
sentation made one delegate fo
every 800 votes and major Fraction
thereof based on the average vot
as cast for all state officers and on
at large for each county. Tha
would give convention of abou
675 delegates and the result woul
be better than one twice that size
Every county convention ough
to require every delegate to tax
the following pledge: 81 have nc
and will not accept any transport;
ton or any expense money frol
any corporation, firm or individua
while acting as delegate.
81 am not holding any federal c
state appointive Office, with a salar
or fees attached nor will l becom
a candidate for such Office durin
the terms of the officials nominate
out of the state convention .
which / am member"
The state convention should pl
in two full days. 1t is almo
political criminality to attempt
crowd the work into one day.
After the convention is organize