The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1914-10-10


IL refreshes ones interest in this
comparatively dull and hihgly
academic campaign in Michigan
politics to try 10 discover to what
party he should belong. IL p~erchance
he has not been born into one or
wished on IL. We have not discovered
that yet. Nor do we find much aid
in the most careful contemplation of
the three party platforms written and
read and duly approved and duly APP
plauded at Detroit. Kalamazoo and
Bay City on Wednesday.
All of them seek some means of
laying before public opinion the plain
facts in industrial disputes in the hope
of promoting mediation. All OF them
are for economy and eficiency-both
very good words. All Of them are for
improvements IN existing laws that
will make everybody happier. All of
them are for a state budget system.
All OF them are strong for the farmer.
All of them, az usual, are keen for
more satisfactory election laws.
though only two Of them, the dem.
ocratic and the bull moose platforms,
endorse the short ballot, which offers
the most effective means of simpli-
flying either our primaries or our
elections.
The republican platform is, as usual,
silent on the short ballot This we
take as the best possible evidence, next
to its silence on the recall OF judges
and judicial decisions. that the republic
u party is gradually returning to its
normal condition. It's attempts to deck
itself out IN the latest political fashions
! and furbelow, have always been more
g%rotesque than impressive. An animal
that is half elephant and half ass and
wear a bull moose tail Is bound to be
awkward. So when the republican
party IN this state began TO pick out
radical tixin's for It's makeup il not
only obscured its identity, but it
exhibited very poor taste. In the
rear past, for instance, 1t has endorsed
the initiative and the referendum, but
has consistently rejected the short
ballot. though its own candidate for
the presidency in the last campaign
is a strong advocate OF 1t. and the
New York republicans, with the
advice and consent OF Elihu Root, have
endorsed il in state convention assem-
bled. Even a conservative and as
loyal a republican paper as The
Courier Herald of Saginaw recon-
mends il Is an essential part of its
program for the reconstruction of
Michigan election machinery.
Probably the republican party will
perform its best service to the state by
sticking to Its old policy of making
quiet advances from year to year and
leaving IL to younger and friskier. or
more naturally radical, organizations
to DO educational and experimental
work in the more modern reforms.
The democratic platform is largely
q hymn vi flCloi1 anu ~ psalm vi
thanksgiving, the same being alto
gether excusable in a party which has
mad so few of them to sing IL differs
from ths republican platform mostly
in respect Of the fact that the republi-
can party just now has nothing TO sing
about. IL also differs in fancying state
civil service as a calling card, while
the republican brethren prefer TO play
reform Of court prucedure-an item
overlooked, apparently, by the demo-
Gratis. but not by the bull loose The
democrats. on the other hand, are com
mendably strong for the conservation
Of the public health.
The bull moose platform is complete.
ANYBODY who wants anything that he
cannot find any place else can find it
there. We can think OF nothing that
has been seriously proposed by any
large group of people in political
discussion in this country tor the
general uplifting OF mankind that
does not find hospitality IN the bull
moose camp Prohibition has taken
it's place with woman suffrage in the
bull moose gospel, with other means
Of redemption and salvation too
numerous to mention. Some Of 10 is
easy TO ACCEPT. We particularly like
the demand for printed stenographic
reports Of Legislative proceedings,
which We have urged for many years,
and which the republican party
endorsed in its convention last year,
and which republican members OF the
legislature repudiated in a hurry.
But on the whole, il is so much like
the republican and democratic plat
forms that we finally discover that we
don't belong TO any party at all.