Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-12-06
MAKING THE PLATFORMS.

'ASS -NOaiico 1Se6tSleT ana Lea0er.l
The wisdom of President Wilson'S
suggestion OF platform written by
the men who are to go before the peo-
pie for election will be seen the mo-
ment the proposition Is brought home
to any state.
Here in Iowa. for instance. Governor
Clarke must he a candidate for re-
election on the record OF his admin
istration. He can not go before the
people and ask denomination a: the
primaries without committing himself
to certain we'll deaned policies with
which his administrator has become
associated In the public mind
And yet. under the law as we have
1t in Iowa. 1t win be possible for a
convention to be held. after he has
been renominated and after he has
committed himself before the people.
made up IN large part OF men who
have gotten themselves elected as dele
gates for the express purpose Of
repudiAting the main policies on
which he mus, make his campaign.
And that this Is something more than
an imaginary situation the recent ex-
perience OF the republicans OF Mas
sachusetts proves. Z
oc1!@NoI SulHLulNS i6.i4SlNilla!lyi O!lV-
ated. His campaign for denomination
must be made before the state conven-
ton has been held. He must stand by
his record and by the policies with
which his name has been associated.
And yet II is entirely possible that the
state convention. even without organi-
cation to that end. Will be made UP in
large part OF men who hold entirely
different views OF what Is needed for
the success of the party. and who in
writing the party platform will natur-
ally insist upon an expression of their
own views rather than OF his.
The fact Is. in states like Iowa we
are trying to do an impossible thing:
We are trying to create a personal
leadership in our politics under the
direct popular primary, and we are
trying at the same time to retain the
notion Of a representative body dele
gated to act for the people and to say
officially what the people want. I'm
less IN some way the personal leader
ship We are creating in the primaries
can be carried over into the conven-
tons and made just as dominant there
as It is in the popular canvass. there
are bound TO be d lot Of political
smasfups, and that in the not distant
future.
There is only one thing to do.
inasmuch az we have abandoned the
convention in the matter OF making
ominations. and that Is 10 abandon
the convention in all but form in the
matter OF making platforms. Not that
conventions should not be held. but
that the convention, when held, shall
be so organized az TO be In guaran-
teed harmony with the spirit OF the
campaign. In other words, the coming
convention in Iowa should be q Clarke
convention u the governor Is to be the
candidate, and a Cummins convention
II the senator is TO be candidate.
The palmer this has become TO
great many OF the original promoters
of wholesale nomination by popular
primaries. the more evidence there mas
been of backing up on the part OF the
more conservative, many OF whom no"
confess to a belief that the old conven-
ton should still be retained. with the
method Of selecting delegates popular
lied and purified. But President WI
| son is evidently not to be ciassed Win
these conservatives. On the contrary
he would 90 to the limit OF direct popu-
lar nomination.
We might as well recognize that
the whole trend Of recent politics has
been to make the personality and the
personal program OF the candidate the
i'm portant thing. To attempt to write
the platforms OF the future without
taking this into account IS to merely
make a muddle Of the whole business
SO long as we have this personal lead
ership politics must be. in the main
| n personally conducted tour.