8
Tho Nebraska Independent
DECEMBER 27, 1906
THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT
ESTABLISHED 1889
J. M. DEVINE, Editor
FREDERIC O. BERGE, Business Mgr.
Published Every Thursday
132 O Street
Lincoln, Nebraska
.Entered at the postofflce at Lincoln,
Nebraska, "as second-class mail matter,
Under the act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
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THE INDEPENDENT,
.Lincoln, Neb.
NOMINATIONS BY THE PEOPLE
It is safe to predict that the incom
ing legislature will enact a primary
election law, providing that the can
didates for all important offices in the
state and the subdivisions thereof
,shall hereafter be nominated by the
direct votes of the people, in the same
manner as they are now cast in regu
lar elections. This will mean the end
of the caucus-convention system of
nominations, the dethronement of po
litical bosses and the annihilation of
the corrupt political machinery that
has dominated party politics in the
past. Under the new system each
voter will have a voice in naming the
candidates of his respective party, and
aspirants for office will no longer be
able to secure nominations through
corrupt trade and dicker with each
other for votes in conventions. The
change is a good one and is in accord
with the principles underlying popular
government.
The caucus-convention system has
proved to be a failure. Under it spe
cial interests have been able to con
trol nominations in all parties, thus
giving the people no alternative but
to elect one or the other of their tools
to office. While it is possible for the
people to control nominations under
the present system, and while in some
instances this has been done, yet the
system itself is replete with opportu
nities for trickery and manipulation
which have been taken advantage of
by corrupt, self seeking, politicians in
combination with special interests who
sought tho enactmetn of laws to en
able them to plunder the people. Del
egates to conventions, Invested with
the sovereignty of constituencies,
commonly enter into bargain and dick
er with parties Interested In tho con
trol of nomination and corruptly bar
ter for personal ends the trust they
bear from tho people. Thou who dem
onstrate their ability to secure their
own appointment as delegates to con
ventions from year to year soon be
come recognized as the men with whom
the Interests have to deal who profit
by the control of the government of
state and the nation. The leader who
Is able to deliver delegations from his
county or district becomes an object
of interest to, and the recipient of
of cosideration and favors from the
agents of the corporations and special
Interests who have conspired to cor
ruptly control the government for pri
vate ends. ,
That a system of making political
nominations and controling party poli
tics affording such opportunities for
manipulation has resulted in govern
ment by and for special interests, in
stead of a government protecting the
rights of the people is not surprising
in view of the fact that it begets a
set of petty party bosses in every
neighborhood who freely assume con
trol of party affairs, and who com
monly receive instructions and finan
cial assistance from the big bosses in
whose interest they work. The sys
tem, through the corrupt methods it
has engendered has cast a stigma
upon politics generally, and subjected
persons actively engaged therein to
the suspicion of seeking personal ends,
Instead of the public good'. Caucuses,
particularly in large towns and cities,
are not infrequently scenes of crim
inality, disgraceful conflict and some
times violence, disgusting to all self
respecting persons. State conven
tions are often scenes of the basest
betrayal of trust and other corrupt
practices, the immorality of which is
shocking in the extreme. All of which
has tended to lessen the interest of
decent men in politicsfl and to give
the corrupt and criminal element a
free hand therein, until the term poli
tician 1s by many regarded as syno
moua with crookedness.
The corruption and debauchery of
politics having reached the limit, the
demand for the adoption of a system
of making nominations that will be
free from the abuses of the caucus
convention system is general among
all classes except the politicians them
selves, and they find themselves un
able to successfully interpose obstacles
to a reform that is so palpably right
eous and universally demanded. All
of the conventions in Nebraska last
year declared for direct nominations,
and all of the members of the incom
ing legislature are pledged to the en
actment of a primary law.
In view of the fact, therefore, that
a primary law is sure to be enacted
by the incoming legislature the pro
visions to be contained in such law
become a matter of supreme impor
tance to the voters of the state. , The
safe-guarding of party integrity by
having the primaries of all parties
held on the same day and the names
of all candidates printed on the same
ballot is a matter that will undoubt
edly bo provided for. But there is
another matter that is vital to good
government that ought to be Insisted
upon, namely, the penalttlng of non
voting. The state has a right to com
pel its subjects to part'eipate In the
nomination and election of its officers
the same aa it commands of them mili
tary service or service aa Jurors. In
difference to tho welfare of tho state
in matters pertaining to the govern
ment thereof is abhorent to, a self
governing people. And as the par
ticipation of the whole people in the
government is necessary to insure a
perfect balance of the moral forces
of the state, such participation be
comes necessary to the best interests
of the state, and is, therefore, a sub
ject over which the state may well
exercise its sovereign power of self
defense.
The caucus-convention system tends
to discourage participation in party
caucuses, alienates the interest of
voters in party nominations and thus
minimize the power of the people in
their government. This has begot
ten a widespread habit of indifference
In political matters, and a consequent
evasion of political responsibilities
and neglect of political duties upon
the part of a largo class of citizens,
all of which has inured to the benefit
of the enemies of honest government.
Therefore, the, new system will find
many unprepared for the intelligent
exercise of the duties it imposes, and
will require of all voters a larger and
more enlightened interest in politics
than ever before. The new system,
by compelling the voters to assume
the responsibility of selecting candi
dates, imposes upon them the duty of
informing themselves regarding the
merits and demerits of aspirants for
office, and while destroying the power
of the old political machines to rig
the game, confers added power upon
the party press, the intelligence and
honesty of .which becomes a matter
of the highest consideration.
The new system: will greatly aug
ment the power of the newspaper in
politics. It will make necessary state
party organs whose duty it will be to
discuss candidates and policies with
the broadest intelligence and the ut
most freedom. Party newspapers of
state circulation will become neces
sary to such a unity of thought and
action as will enable the voters of the
state to select' candidates by a. ma
jority vote under the primary system.
It must be borne in mind that in
order to prevent two or three of the
larger cities of the state from com
bining to control the government of
the state, that two features are essen
tial to be incorporated in a pripary
law, namely, compulsory voting, and
nominations only by a majority of the
votes cast. To permit of nominations
by a plurality would , put the govern
ment of the state into the hands
of Omaha and Lincoln permanently.
To do which either temporarily or
permanently would prove to be a most
disastrous blunder.
GETTING THEIR EYES OPEN
The failure of the caucus-convention
system to give the people an honest
and just government is forcing them
into the abandonment of that system
and tho substitution In its stead of a
system of making nominations by pri
maries In which all of the voters di
rectly participate. The change of
systems has already been adopted by
several states and Is about to bo
adopted by several others. This move
Is made m-crssury because under tho
system In vogue predatory corpora
tions have been able to control the
governments of states and nation and
plunder .the people, apparently,-with
Impunity. This they could not do if
the people exercised intelligence and
diligence in the discharge of their
duties as citizens. This they have
failed to do. The fact is patent to
all. In it is found the necessity for a
change.
In view of the fact that self inter
est is recognized as the mainspring of
human action, it would seem as though
the people of Nebraska who are espe
cially the victims of railroad extor
tion, being robbed annually of a sum
approximating $20,000,000 through ex
cessive freight charges, beyond what
is just and responsible for the service
rendered ought to arise in their might
and throw off the incubus of railroad
government. Why have they not done
this? The only reason that can be
given is the lack of intelligence. Why
have they remained ignorant of a mat
ter of such vital concern to them?
Tho reason is, traditional slavery to
political parties, whose leaders have
been corrupt.
These leaders could not have been
ignorant of the fact that the producers
of, the state have been plundered out
right. They have had all the railroad
passes they wanted for themselves
and families for, lo, these many years.
The lawyers, bankers and editors who
were able to ride free, themselves, and
secure railroad passes for ' their
friends as well, constituted the leaders
of their respective parties. If they
were not party leaders they could not
have enjoyed free' rides over the rail
roads. The plain every day voter
could not obtain a free ride.
Was it not then the free ride and
the political support of the railroads
and of the free pass brigades in cau
cuses, conventions and at the polls
that made them insensible, or indiffer
ent to the wrongs that were being in
flicted upon the people by the rail
roads? These leaders were not Ignorant
of the facts. But their poor party
blind followers were ignorant of them.
And a system of political management
under which party leaders can suc
ceed in maintaining a following and
keeping them blind, while selling them
out to the railroads for passes for
themselves and their friends is a per
nicious system utterly devoid of a
redeeming feature.
Through the slip of a cog in the
railroad political machine two years
ago George W. Berge became the can
didate for governor on the democratic
and populist tickets. A memorable
campaign followed during which Mr.
Berge succeeded in convincing the
voters of the state that the reason
why no progress had been made by
the people in the way of relief from
railroad extortion was that the lead
ers in all parties had been unfaithful
to them, through falling under the
hypnotic spell of the railroad pass dis
tributers. He told them that the freo
pass was an insidious bribe, and was
the means employed by the railroads
to Influence and control party leaders
and cause them to forget the interests
of the people. Tho people caught tho
Idea. They believed that Mr. Tiergo
had told them tho truth and they
milled to his supiKirt in surprising
numbers, nearly landing him in th
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