Year: 1873

NHeic'er polltlcal party gets IN


hopeless minority it commences at once


to denounce all party organization as


tyrannical, and very naturally advises


members of opposite factions to disre-


gard caucuses and regular nominations


and support independent tickets. It


frequently happens when a candidate


before o county or other convention Is


beaten for a nomination he is very ready


to aver that he was defeated by fraud,


and il he can get sufficient encourage


ment from friends and enemies, he bolts


the nominations and rims "independ.
ent." Now all this is proposed TO be
remedied. An antidote has been discov-
cred for all the ills of the primaries, and


the discoverer is no less parsonage
than the Hon. Charles r. Buckalew, Of


Pennsylvania. Mr.. Buckalew proposes
a system something on the principle of
our present State election laws. He has
certain number of delegates allotted to
each township; voters may cast their
ballots in the manner authorized by our
State Constitution in the election of
members of the Legislature that is to
say, all for one candidate or one for each.
A candidate securing a certain number
off votes at the primary shall receive a
corresponding support in convention, etc.


There may be one good idea in this,


but we doubt if there is more than one.
1t is desirable to have some regular man.
ner of holding conventions, and this may
point out as good, though rather cum
bersome, mode as any. Further than
this We see no advantage that could ac-
crue from the adoption of Mr.. Bucka.
LEWIS plan. Nine times out of ten the
men who are selected by what are termed
"packcd" conventions would be Just as
surely nominated if the question was
submitted to the people. Bad men may
support them ut the primaries, but they
would support them Just rs surely, and
with the same result, if their names were
submitted to vote in the way suggested.
The fact is, unless candidate is widely
known and popular for some quality of
character which has become notorious,
that man succeeds who is fortunately
endowed with the best faculty of obtain
ing the good will of his neighbors, and
who gives his time and attention to the
work of being nominated. This being
the case, of course he who can freely
mingle with the vicious, who is hale fel-
low well met with the lowest as well as
the highest, who subscribes for churches
and patronizes saloons with equal hber-
atty, is pretty sure, other things being
equal, to win, though he may be, as is
often the case, both mentally and morally
unfit for the place to which he aspires.
We freely admit the wrong, and lament
it, but fail to see that Mr.. Buckalew's
plan provides remedy. But suppose it
to be the balm for every political wound;
how shall it be applied? The last rule
prescribes, to be sure, that "the pro-
ceedings Of no nominating convention of
the people shall be deemed regular which
are not conducted in accordance with
these rules" But what if they are not
regular, and suppose some one who runs
independent" of all such conventions
is elected? Can a law be constitution
ally framed that shall prevent free ex-.
ercise Of the ballot, by prescribing that
an elector shall vote for either the one
or the other OF the candidates for Gov
ernor? The great grievance that is now
complained of is that by means of eau
cuses candidates are forced upon the
people who are distasteful to them. But
how does this plan mend the matter?
If A goes into a primary meeting under
the new system and casts all his votes
for B, but in spite of this G, whom he
mortally hates, is nominated, how much
better is he off because vote or two
can be cast in convention for his favorite
candidate, while the distasteful one sue
ceeds? One great trouble with our
politics now is that bad men need little
inducement to attend caucuses, while
good men require constant urging before
they will consent to perform their duty
in this respect. We do not see that the
inducement would be greater under Mr..
Buckalew's plan. Chicago Inter- Ocean.