South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-01-15

A&tAA III " AAfAA AHlUA IA NANsf
and Editor Of Farm and Fheside.
old George Fitch created the char
acter of Ole Skiarsen. the Terrible
scandinavian who made reBular trips
between the goal posts Tor Old SlWash
in the football games.
Ii will be remem bered that in ORDER
10 induce ole 10 play, he had 10 be
rushed by the frats. He was at the
Eta Beta Pie house, but announced
his preference for the Alfalfa Delts
"Ay tank" said Ole you fellers
bane more stylish dan Alfalfa Debts.
but Ay tank dem fellers got more
sense!'
am subtIy reminded Of this BY the
remarks of Sen James Hamilton
Lewis OF Illinois with regard TO the
presidential primary proposed by
II am afraid" says Sen. Lewis, that
a convention OF the candidates after
nomination would not keep the best
interests OF the party foremost
Perhaps not; they would be very
much more likely To keep the best
interests OF the country foremost.
They would in platform making.
SAYS the senator. tend TO support Such
planks as would help their individual
candidates. at home. and would lose
sight Of some of the important phases
OF national legislation"
In other words they would consult
the wishes of the voters.
Moreover" says the senator, Il
have my misgivings as 10 scheme
which allows the candidate TO make
his own platform"
He probably prefers "A plan by which
the candidate can unmake the party
platform. as Alton y. Parker did.
When man makes his own platform,
ne can't refuse to stand on it. Does
Sen. Lewis object to the wedding OF
4 1ofF mr. =
reason? Does he think 1t makes
lodging too difficult?
L think" says the senator. that
the platform ought TO be the eX-
pressed will OF the party followers,
and the candidates should be bound
1y il, rather than have il the express
sion OF the preferences Of the candi-
dates as to what and how much tney
are willing 10 give TO the people. The
people ought to make the platform.
and the candidate agree to il after it
is made"
As Parker did,
/ have seen many "A political plat
form constructed, but L never was
present when the people of the party.
or the party followers were much In
evidence have seen the under
ground workers in the lobby. / have
known of complete platforms being
TANNED through committees on reso-
lutions. plank by plank. just as they
came from the offices of Predatory
Grced-but 1 never saw the people
there-the people for whom Lewis UNI
dcrtaEes 10 speak as against Wilson.
And 7 saw one platform made &C
cOrding to the methods advocated by
Wilson. tt was at Madison, Wis The
candidates had been nominated IN the
primaries They had been through
primary campaigns which had given
them a chance 10 know what the
voters OF the party. and Of the state.
really wanted. They seemed 10 know
these things better than the members
Of any committee on resolutions l
ever saw appointed by the chairman
Of a state convention.
They adopted platform when
swept the state. II was a progressive
platform. / never saw platform
adopted under circumstances OF so
much sincerity.
you have nominated US, said these
men, and you have a right TO know
what We think Of the principles OF the
party. Here are our principles. II
elected We will carry them out. Ihey
constitute our contract with you, the
people They were not Matched IN
any midnight cOnclaVc and fol\ed on
a convention which was thinking OF
something else. They were proElul-
gated sOlemn!y by us. in convention
which had only one task, the making
OF a platform"
And the men elected carried their
promises to fTuitiOn. They were thef
promises. you see. and not the Iulml-
nations OF a committee on resolutions,
or a casually elected convention.
In the national convention under
the Wilson plan. there viii be over
400 candidates The candidates for
president and vice president will be
there. and those for senators and con-
rressnen Does the senator think
that the hest interests of the party
will be forgotten, or important
phases OF national legislation?
LAY tank" ole SkjGrsen might we'll
saw dat pres. Wilson ent bane so
stVlish as Vim Ham Lewis, but Ay
tank he got more sense,
Every time Lewis speaks. and. still
more, every time he writes letter
which breaks into print. ! am more
strongly Of the opinion that ole Woald
he correct i'm his statement.
tCOpyrighted. 1913. by the Newspaper
Enterprise Association