The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-08-30
A STATE CONVENTION
TEACHES PATRIOTISM

The Republican state convention al
Pocatello has surprised the people
of Idaho. 1t proved that patriotism
stands higher in the minds of the
men at the convention than party
politics, and that party success
stands higher in their minds thar
any individual success. 1t has also
shown that great generosity existed
in the hearts Of the candidates and
the delegates, and among the great
leaders of the party. The spirit Of
-'give and take that was so appar.
ent in the work of the convention
impressed sall visitors with their sin.
cerity and earnestness. The con.
vention proved that the candidates
having the greatest following as
measured by the individual dele
gates wishing for their election are
counted the strongest men for those
positions, rather than measuring
their fitness by machine or other
combinations of power that do not
speak for the individual fitness as
shown by the judgment of the in
dividual delegates.
No Machine Operations
There was nothing in the lelibera-
tions or the work of the conven-
ton that smacks of the money pow
.er or machine power. The work of
the convention was .vindication Of
the convention plan of nominating
and of transacting the party's bust
ness. 1t was a vindication of the
judgment of the legislature when it
revised the primary law last winter
and placed the convention system in
effect for nominating the state Of
ficers.
Everybody Was Heard
There were among the delegates
certain isolated individuals who
were striving to have the direct pri-
mary re-enacted, and looking to that
end were asking that plank be
placed in the platform promising the
people that the state primary laws
should be again enacted. Those
people received hearing but re-
ceived cold comfort everywhere, and
when the resolutions and platform
were about to be adopted, dele
gate from north Idaho, Mrs. Won
Cannon from Standpoint, took the
floor and pleaded with the conven-
ton to insert such plank, saying
that the women Of the country
twenty-seven million strong have
now come into possession of the
ballot and they do not like to go in
to conventions and seek political pre-
ferment nor work in that manner to
secure what they want in politics.
They do not think it a dignified
way of doing. They prefer to do it
all single-handed at the voting
booth. She pleaded for the wo-
mems sake to discard the convention
system and go back to the direct
primary. There were only two 9TH
er women delegates in the house
and when she finished speaking each
of them in her turn rose and declar-
ed that she was not in favor of the
direct primary. Thus did the wom-
en- of the convention repudiate the
one who plead for the direct pri-
mary, and they repudiated the di-
rect primary and endorsed the con-
ventiOn system.
Yindicating Convention Plan
1t was wonderful vindication of
the strength and courage and pat
riotism of the Republican party. |
That they had the courage, not only |
to take a leading part in repeating |
the part of the direct primary re-
ferring to the nomination of state
candidates, but that they in their
convention declared unequivocally |
against any further operations of the
primary except in county nomina-
tons. The orderly spirit of this con-
vention was vindication of the prin-
ciples of the primary system. And
when one speaker pointed to the
county convention at Boise as proof
of what might be stirred up in the
way of steam roller operations, an
other speaker followed him and
pointed out the fact that the one
trouble with the direct primary law
is that it never stirs up anything;
that it is a dead way of doing bust
ness; that people got SO they do not
have enough interest to even go to
the polls and vote; that party ac-
tivities have been waning and that
has crept in and taken
possession. He pointed to the coun-
ty convention at Boise and said it
was great credit to the convention
system, that Ada county, after ten
years of inactivity in politics, had
gone into the convention with two
steam rollers, each with a strong
following, and that the one steam
roller had conquered the other
steam roller by small majority,
md that for days after the conven- :
ion the whole population was study =,
ng politics and government op-
'rations with a spirit that they nev- =
# had exhibited in ten years be-
ore, and that it stirred up more 8
cal patriotism and more keen study
# how to conduct the government