The Lincoln County Journal. (Stroud, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 30, 1906 Page: 3 of 8
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The Lincoln (o. Jouriidl. .T1'
Published ttrrlly by
Mission l'rc»« Publishing Co,
NVrtr cor. tth *t. ami Mb 4ve.
STROUD, OK LA
J. n Mi bBcbO rdtior,
to lie scvurrd titan by
theconvention method «hnt
tlte various candidate* usuall*
secure delegation* to trade on
W lint « candidate goe* into a
CONVENTION or primary.
Objection in frequently made
that by the primary method of
selecting conditates, the person
selected in, in the majority of
cases, a minority candidate;
that is, he did not receive a
majority of first choice votes
That in no more true in |>ri-
niary elections than by the
caucus and convention plan
and in the primary election
the person who is selected has,
at least, received more votes
from the people than any other
one candidate, which is not al-
ways true of the nominee se-
cured by convention methods
Frequently the people have
been tricked into allowing dele
gates to be selected who in no
wise represented the wishes of
the people.
Those who object to the min-
ority nomination by direct pri-
mary, should be able to recall
many conventions where tlie
first choice of the delegates
was so divided that no one had
a majority of the votes. All
can recall conventions where
many ballots were taken before
a choice could be reached. In
some instances delegates to a
convention ballot for days be-
fore driving enough of tiie
votes for various candidates 10
one man to nominate him.
Very frequently a man never
before the people, is selected as
a compromise candidate.
Will any one claim that in
any of these cases tlie man
chosen was a real majority
nominee? Certainly not. On
many occasions the people
have inquired who the nominee
was and from whence he came,
when a dark horse was selected.
In one presidential convention
this happened. When Garfield’s
name came before the republi-
can convention many pretty
well informed people could not
recall ever having heard of him.
In the sense of selecting the
man whom a majority of the
people favored, no one would
claim that Garfield was a ma-
jority candidate. Conventions
seldom choose a man whom a
majority of the people would
have selected. In fact in many
cases the majority of the peo-
ple are not for one man and
whether the selection be made
by convention or bv direct pri-
mary vote the second choice
of the voters to some extent
must be considered. When no
person secures a majority of
the votes on first ballot in a
convention, and especially when
many ballots have been taken,
the tendency is to combine a-
gainsl the man who has the
greatest vote, thus getting as
far away from the expressed
choice of a large number of
people as possible.
In the primary election the
people express their second
choice as well as their first
choieeand it is done calmly and
without the passion usually
engendered by balloting in a
tor Tite initiative asd
ttt rent Noon
The'initiative ami referendum
should be the shibboleth of all
aspiring candidate* to the
convention with a delegation coming constitutional runven.
which he owns, and can trade, tion, notwithstanding the lug
tlie welfare of the people is com- |ot 0( boosh that certails cor
plrtcly lost sight of flunk of porntiou* are trying to scure
n convention where ten state the jieople with. They are
otlicrr* are to be nominated claiming that should we incor-
and in many cases the same porate an urticlc incorporating
ollite sought by several candi-
date*
Now imagine each candidate
in that convention with a dele-
gation which has informed him
in the constitution the power
of the initiative and referendum
that the constitution would
t>e only a farce Now what do
you think of that? Ask them
that he is at liberty to dispose what has been the greatest ob.
of their votes in an way which staelr in tile way of prosecut-
he believes to his advantage.
Candidates *Vom a group of
counties having a majority of
votes meet and agree to sti|>-
port each other and the whole
thing is over. The wishes of jwere unconstitutional,
a majority of the people are would like to get
ing the trusts, and they have,
in most instances, gotten a-
round tile issues by claiming
tile prosecution, was not legal
because the anti-trust laws
T hey
the
not in such cases considered, constitution of Oklahoma in
The character of the men select- the same shape of most other
ed is never taken into consul- states, that the great corpora-
eration, but the number of votes lions and trusts ma v hide be-
lie controls. If this is not done hind the word constitutional,
in all county and state conven- Let the people, regardless of
lions it is because the delegates partisanism, send men to the
refuse to lie treated as chattels, convention who pledge tliem-
but usually the candidate selves to the initiative and re-
names the delegates and lie se- lerendum clause in the constitu-
leets men who would just as li‘*n.—Coyle Clipper.
■ ■ <^» ■■
soon be traded as not. This is
no exaggeration. No man
who has taken pait in conven-
tions has failed to note this
evil A primary election would
stop all tiiis
billing.
PUNISHING GRATTERS
Willard Jones, member of the
Oregon legislature of 1903, a
wealthy contractor and tim-
trading and com- j)t,r (jea|er, was sentenced by
Judges Williams and Hunt in
There is not an evil going , the United States circuit court
with the primary election which j to
serve one year’s inqirision-
does not aiso go with the cau- \ ment in the federal prison on
cus and convention plan and McNeils Island and to pay a
many of the very fine of $2,000. Jones was con-
there are
of
worst features -of the conven- victed of conspiracy to defraud
tion plan that are eliminated the government,
by the primary election. This Thaddeus Steven Potter, a well
lawyer, who
is why the primary election is
coming into general use as a
means of selecting candidates.
—Times-Journal.
known Portland
was tried and convicted
Jones, was sentenced to
JEROME ON PARTIES AND BOSSES.
Party organization was created
originally to render effective the
will of the people. The servant
has become the master, and the
executive machinery, controlled by
small groups of selfish and unusually
corrupt men, has been used to de-
prive the people of their rights.—
District Attorney Jerome.
There is not a more interest-
ing figure in active politics at
this time than Mr. William
Travers Jerome, the District
Attorney of New York. Wheth-
Mr. Jeome is engaged in a can-
vass of municipal, state or nat-
ional issues, he makes it in any
case of national interest be-
cause he insists on principles of
national concern.
In the preliminaries to the
campaign which resulted in his
latest election as District At-
torney there was never a
doubt that Mr. Jerome could
have the Democratic nomina-
tion by asking it of the Tarn-
many' organization. But that
was not the Jerome way. A
principle of popular government
was at stake. An opportunity
to fight the greatest evil in the
Americn political system was
Mr. Jerome fouglii
system, and his fight,
victory, was I aPPr°val?
in the Multnomah
and to pay a fine
afforded,
the boss
no less than his
a monumental service to
political life of the nation.
six months
county jail
of $500.
The above news item is of
special interest because it shows
that the government is still
pushing suits 'against persons
guilty of land fraud. The rich
and powerful fall before the
vigorous prosecution of t lie
go\eminent, Senators, con-
gressmen, capitalists, members
of state legislatures and peo-
ple of every calling are caught,
convicted and sent to prison
for irregularities.
This does not mean that the
world is topsy turvv politically
or socially, but that the public
conscience has been aroused
and demands civil decency.
The people demand more than
they did once, even as to the
private character of officials.
The time was and that not
very long ago, when men could
do about anything imaginable
when not on duty, providing
their public records and public
acts squared all right.
Today the public demands
decency in private as well as
public life. All remember the
story of the judge who had
himself fined for drunkenness
and this in his own court
The incident probably never
occured but the storv was told
approvingly, as evidence of
the uprightness of the judge.
Would such a story now secure
Most assuredly not.
the I Such a judge would be compel-
led to give up office. The de-
mands of the people are severer
His attitude today concern-■ with each decade and the great-
ing the nomination for (lover- est advance is being made in
est advance is
the present
Journal
nor of his state denotes a con-
sistently fearless, patriotic
convention. In the case of the spirit. It is of national moment
primary election, if the favorite to note whether his party in
son racket is worked to kill off the wider field will have the
some favorite among the peo- good sense and patriotism to
pie, the people would give the accept his doctrine of what the
favorite their votes for second party service really is—“to
choice and by this means, the render effective the will of the
nomination of a candidate who people” and not that of “small of expense in hiring
would be the choice of a major- groups of unusually selfish and and extra policemen
decade—Times-
The determination of the
whiskey traffic in defying the
laws for the purpose of profits
is causing a state of anarch v
in many cities and towns, and
the public is put to millions
lawyers
to pre-
A CAMPAIGN OFFER
Only 25 Cents.
Desiring to enlarge the Journal’s field of useful-
ness and get the people of Lincoln County ac-
quainted with this paper, we will scud ... -
The Lincoln County Journal
Kverv week from date until January 1st, 1907,
to new subscribers residing in Lincoln County
for the small sum of - - - -
ents*
The Journal is an independent political newspa-
per. We believe in men and measures, and we
believe that the constitution should he made
for the whole state instead of either party;
therefore we will urge the election of the best
man to the constitutional convention regardless
of party affiliation. - - - - - - - -
Also the Journal believes and will advocate that
the entire state should be under the same con-
stitution, therefore we will advocate only the
election of those delegates to the constitutional
convention who shall pledge themselves to vote
and work for the Prohibition clause in the Con-
stitution for the whole state. - - - - -
If you believe in the home and good government
then subscribe for
THE LINCOLN
COUNTY
JOURNAL
And get your friends to send 2," cents each to
this office and receive the paper each week until
JANUARY 1ST. 1907.
itv of the voters would be more corrupt men.
serve the peace
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Hubbard, J. H. The Lincoln County Journal. (Stroud, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 30, 1906, newspaper, August 30, 1906; Stroud, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc405202/m1/3/: accessed April 25, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.