The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1914-02-19
BORAH SOUNDS KEYNOTE TO
UNITY AND PATRIOTIC DUTY
CONTINUED from page u

discourage or disfranchise such men.
Certainly those who approved and
utilized the action Of the convention
In 1904 and 1908, at q. time when
the south had its Gull vote and when
there was patronage to distribute,
will have no occasion to find fault
with the convention Of 1915 20 far as
this question - concerned, since the
south has been reduced to q mimi
mum and there Will be no patronage
to distribute.
"But that was by no means the con
trolling or vital question. The vital
thing was to make the convention
wholly responsive to the will of the
voters-to arrange the machinery Of
the party 80 az to give free and un-
trammeled sway to the views and
purposes of those who must win the
fight upon election day. The organ
ization has therefore provided for
the recognition and seating Of all
primary elected delegates upon the
certificate of the canvassing board
within the state. The national com
mittee does not pass upon their Gre
dentials. There can be under such
circumstances no contest. The dele
gates will come ~ the unchallenged
representatives Of the people to re-
cord their votes both a. to platform
and candidates. This b In Ito prac-
teal effect the national primary and
the nearest to the national primary
that we viii likely have very soon.
II all parties In the respective states
now urge primary laws for the cleo
ton Of delegates to the national
convention - all parties should, we
win have In jts practical effect the
national primary. We viii not only
have done away with the shameless
scenes Of Chicago and Baltimore.
but we will have platforms which en-
body the convictions and aspirations
OF the people and candidates who re-
ceive their nominations without OBJ
legations or pledges to any interest or
power other than the people them
selves. The national committee has
been deprived OF all power over pri-
mary elected delegates; they will sit
there like q painted ship upon a
painted ocean. just as useless and
from an artistic standpoint far less
attractive.
Some of our friends want a new
platform. So do l, but / do not
want q new platform nearly as much
as l want the right kind of plat
form, and made under conditions
which will not give rise to any doubt
as to its being genuine. Platforms
are utterly worthless and misleading;
they signify nothing as to the real
attitude and purpose of the party
unless they come as the result of an
earnest and determined contest, un-
der conditions which admit of a full
expression of views, and at time
when great campaign Is imminent
and the approaching contest calls
from the workshop and the farm, from
the counting house, the factory and
the mine. those whose sole business
In politics Is to secure the best that
can be had for the general good,
for vS1o -
no power. These people do not at
tend moot conventions or take any
considerable part In selecting hand
picked delegates. and yet republi-
can convention without their full
and earnest views would be a sham,
a pretense. So far as / am concern
ed, do not want a platform of ex-
pediency, a platform adopted in a
formal manner, even III 1t reads right.
| want to know where the republican
party, in fact, stands, and Is going
to stand on these great issues. In
a moot convention you could never
know. l want to see q downright
fight where there Is something more
than paper and ink and sounding
phrases at issue, an absolute contest
where the people take part, so that
when the result is recorded we will
have the real sentiment and the real
convictions of the party, and know
ing them. we can square ourselves
Tor the future. want either the In
SEPARATION of Lodi or the conclusive
ness of Waterloo. do not want
a platform drawn by bosses, or even
by Amounted leaders, weeks in ad-
vance of the convention, and carried
Nike succeed and perfumed Egyp-
tan mummy to the place of meeting
with which to couture the multitude
Tor another season, but a living
breathing platform. voicing the pur-
poses and hopes of men and women
Wha houn ~rxhhaJ n~ofn.k A.