The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-04-16
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THE BOSSES AND
DIRECT NOMINATIONS.
LesIie's Weekly.

Leslie's Weekly.

sive ideas or the formulation of plans
for the general welfare which inspire
other men to follow and support him,
but through the manipulation and con
trcl of the machinery of politics. This
; machinery consists of the forms
through which the people choose men
. to represent them in office. II is reg
ulsted partly by law and partly by the
customs and pTeCedents of parties.
! The sphere of the boss may be the
smallest political subdivision, or il
may be an entire state. The power
Of the boss depends entirely upon his
: ability TO select candidates for office
II he can select them, he can control
them after they have been elected.
They become ais deputies. II he is
corrupt he can turn his power into
cash by selling immunity 10 law
/ breakers, or granting privileges, or leg
alizing the eXaction of tribute from the
general public If he IS honest, he
may use his power TO make his party
strong, believing that its supremacy
is essential to the well-being Of the
( country and of his particular field OF
operation.
So long as the boss can dictate
nominations to Office, his power is
despotic and permanent. He controls
the men who are in Office. and. as they
we'll know, he will control their sue
cessOTs. The government is his gov
eminent. and MS thumb is both broad
and heavy 1t is not difficult to see
why bosses are opposed TO the direct
nomination of candidates for Office by
the people Through their domination
of law-making bodies they have in
trenched themselves behind innumer'
able legal barriers, and they have
framed party custom and precedent
in the manner best fitted to resist pop
ular attack. The process by watch
candidate for governor is nominated in
the state of New York may serve as
an illustration. The enrolled party
voters do not select him. They meet
in primary elections to choose dele
gates to make the choice for them.
Only in the large cities is there any
attempt TO regulate these primaries.
Elsewhere they may be held in any
place. at any time, and if the boss is
in difficulties ne may call in the vot-
ers of the opposing party to Overwhelm
those of his own or he may simply
stuff the ballot box.
In the large cities the party voter
finds the polling places in charge Of
election officers, named, in accordance
With the law. by the boss. He re-
ceives a ticket containing a bewild
by the boss as delegates not to the
state convention, but to the conven-
ton of the assembly district. There
may be an equally meaningless ticket
OF similar delegates proposed by a
rival for the bOss-ship. The voter
knows only that the delegates named
on the ticket belong to one man, and
that the delegates named on the other
ticket belong to another. He has no
idea whom they want for governor,
nor. for that matter. have they The
voter casts a ballot and goes about
his business. His relation TO the
nomination is ended.
The candidates named on one ticket
or the other are elected They go
to the assembly district convention.
Il they are opposed to the boss, he
may order them to be turned out AMI
replace them with friends. TIE as
sembly district convention elects the
delegates to the state convention
They are men picked out by the boss
with care and they belong to him.
If by any chance matters should 90
wrong in the primary, the assembly
district convention is a filter that eli
inmates any semblance OF insubordl-
nation Then the state convention
meets. II there is a state boss, If
ratities the ticket he has named. If
/ there Is no absolute state boss, d syn
dictate OF bosses is formed. controlling
a majority of the delegates, and its
members appOTtiOn the ticket among
themselves If they lack votes they
throw out elected delegates and seat
others The only influence that the
party voters have upon the choice of
the candidate for governor is by man.
ifesting so decided a preference in fav-
or of candidate that the bosses feel
compelled to accept him for fear OF
defeat at the polls.
The temptation TO the ruthless use
of this machinery by those who con-
troll II, to achieve their ends, is US
ually too strong TO be resisted. The
plan OF nomination reform proposed
by Governor Hughes and opposed by
the bosses abOliSheS the state cOnVep-
ton OF dummy delegates and compeIs
the state committee of each party.
frankly and in the open. to propose its
state ticket Other tickets may be
proposed by petition, and all propos-
al6 made must be submitted in a pri-
mary election, guarded as carefully as
the general election. to the party vot-
erS of the state, who by their direct
votes will nominate the strongest men.
The bill emancipates the party voter
and gives aim substance in place OF
shadow.
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