Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1912-05-23
Party Leaders Have New Law n cor
tend With in Making Platforms
BOTH CONVENTIONS IN JUNF|
Must Hold Conventions Same Date n
Boise to Promulgate Party
Principles

The leaders of the two dominant
political parties in the state are now
turning their eyes toward the last
Tuesday in June, when the delegates
selected by the various county COM
mittees throughout the state will meet
in Boise City for the purpose of form
ing and promulgating the platform Of
principles upon which their candi.
dates will either ride gloriously to vic
tory or go down the ages unhonored
and unsung under the stigma of de
feat.
This feature of t he primary law
passed at the 1911 session of the leg
islature has been little heard of in the
rush for delegates in both the repub-
lican and democratic preconvention
activities.
In the good old days of politics, be-
fore state legislatures started to in.
terfere with the organization of the
political elements. all the necessary
platform building would have been
done at the convention which nomi-
mated the state office candidates, but
now the law has stepped in and the
legislature in breath has decreed
that the platforms of both of the
great political parties must be made
on the same day, in the same city,
and that the platform conventions
must be opened and at work at the
same hour. There is no longer any
chance of one party holding out its
platform until after the other party
has sent broadcast over the state it's
appeal to the citizens.
The Idaho legislature passed the
following law in 1911, which begins on
page SIS of the general session laws,
under section 80:
The state platform convention
of all political parties, subject to
the provisions of this act, ..hall
meet at the seat of state govern
ment at IL O'Clock m. on the last
Tuesday of June, before the pri-
mary election, and shall forthwith
organize, and by majority rule
adopt and promulgate the party
principles and declarations of the
respective parties, and shall
within three days after assem-
bling, file copy of tsuch plat
form with the secretary of state,
which copy shall be duly certi-
fled to by the chairman and secre-
tary of such convention, placed in
sealed envelope and kept from
public inspection until the time
for filing platforms has expired.
Section 90, on page SIT of the same
acts, provides that the delegates to
the platform conventions shall be Sc
lected by the county central commit
tee on the second Tuesday in june
preceding the primary election, and
that the number of delegates selected
to take part in such convention from
each and every county shall be three
times the number of representatives
in the state legislature from each and
every county.
! Under the laws as passed by the
Eleventh session of the Legislature
Boise may expect to find herself
swamped with visitors on the last
Tuesday of next June, when the rep
resentatives of the two parties vii
meet here to frame the platforms will
which they will meet the voters Of thu
state, in the primary election and alst
in the general election in the fall.
Another feature Of this act OF thu
legislature is that it will probably b.
the first time in the history OF any
state that two conventions of two diff
| ferent political parties were ever hel'
in the same city, each being called t
order at the same hour, and eacl
meeting for the same purpose.
AS the state platform convention
| will be held after the two nationa
conventions, it is possible that, tn
general theme of both of the plat
forms will be founded upon thos'
adopted at Chicago and Baltimore
with several intersections, as it doe
or does not relate to the local condi
! tions.
Leaders of both parties will ge
down to business and begin active
work on the party platforms imme
diately after the Lewiston and Coeu
80, .-.or+;opu ara over