Year: 1871

Not long ago, We expressed our views in rela.
ti9u to the Crawford County Plap, giving few
reasons in support of our opinion. While we
believe that the majority coincide with US, we
fear that the present system of making nomina-
tions may be continued through pure inaction,
according to the maxim what is everybody's
business is nobody's business" The Crawford
County Plan was adopted by q Convention and
has never been submitted to the voters at large.
1t was tested in this county last year and those
Who admired the theory must certainly have been
disappointed at the result. The Sacramento


Union has of late devoted considerable space to
the advocacy of this plan for nominating State
and county officers. The ability and independ-
ence displayed by that paper in the discussion of
matters of public interest entities its opinions to
great respect and renders it deservedly infuen-
tial But I" Homer sometimes mods" and in
our humble opinion the Union sometimes errs
No matter how plausible the argument put for
ward against the Convention system aud in favor
of submitting all nominations directly to the
voters at the primaries, the practical operation
of the latter mode shows conclusively that it
defeats the very object sought to be obtained
namely, the most popular ticket.


Those who ignore the fact that many voters
are Influenced by local and personal feeling are
seriously mistaken. Year before last there was
a Republican majority in this county of one
hundred and twenty-one. Last year, under the
nsw-fangled mode of nominating, we lost the
two most important Offices and barely elected the
balance of the ticket. No one informed in the
matter will deny that the strife at the primaries
contributed largely to this result. Facts are
stubborn things and we would like for those
who favor the Crawford County Plan 10 explain
away the following significant facts: AS we
are informed, it originated with the Republican
organization in Crawford county, Penn. At the
time of its adoption, that party had fifteen hum
dred majority in the county. Three years suf-
feed to place the Republican voters in the mi
nority and they very sensbly returned to the con-
vention system, thereafter carrying the county
Its first trial In this county showed an apparent
loss of one hundred or more voters in one year.
Humboldt county with nearly three hundred Re-
publican majority showed worse than Trinity,
"A~ o'en III Couuty tue crushing ue-
feat sustained by the Democracy this Spring, is
ascribed TO the same cause. In our deliberate
opinion the convention system is best adopted to
secure harmony in the party and wisdom in
framing ticket. Should few men obtain con-
troll of the party organization aud attempt to
run it in their own interests contrary TO the de-
sire of an intelligent majority, the scepter will
soon pass from their hands. The same causes
produce the same results. From everywhere
that the convention system has been abandoned,
we hear the Same story of dissatisfaction and
defeat. That abuses attend on nominating con-
ventions, we will not pretend to deny, but all
such spring from the very imperfections of hu-
man nature. 1t is much easier to point out de-
fects than to suggest the remedy. we'll or
ganized party is like a we'll disciplined army.
Politically, organization is essential to success
No method heretofore devised answers as we'll
the convention system, and we must recognize
the fact. We shall refer to this subject no more
unless impelled to do so by an awakened inter-
est in the matter. We have the interest of the
party solely at heart. If the party are generally
disposed to let thing stay they are, very we'll
If the Central Committee think best to take no
action in the matter, so be it. We have done
what we conceive to be our duty, and the will OF
the majority being made manifest, will have
nothing further to say.