Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 5.djvu/68

 54 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

mounting in turn the separate pinnacles of the national, the state, and the county politician.

Let a county central committee have attained a state of "har- mony " concerning the party candidates to be put into the field for the county offices. It is then impelled to call the county convention upon as short notice as possible, in order to forestall the public opinion of the county. Its "slate" is ready, its dele- gates in the various precincts are carefully selected ; they may all be foisted upon the people by quick, well-concerted action, before the people make up their minds whom or what they want. But the selfish county committee may also be very much alive to the opportunities for the state offices and privileges. Upon this score, an early county convention secures the advantage of the "moral effect," the imitative tendency so strong in human nature. "There is a contagion in example which few men have the force to resist," said Alexander Hamilton. The county that anticipates other counties in pledging itself to a particular aspir- ant for a given office, say the state-treasurership, starts a "boom " for its favorite. The county that publishes the earliest instruc- tions relative to the state platform furnishes a mode! for tardier county declarations. The first Republican county convention of Illinois for 1896, held at Olney, January 27, instructed for the gold standard and named William McKinley for president, William E. Mason for senator, and John R. Tanner for governor. The complete fulfillment of this forecast was not altogether a coin- cidence.

If a candidate secures early conventions friendly to himself in several counties, the "moral effect" of his success is all the greater, as the delegates so early won are the more numerous. He gains even weightier vantage where he early captures a sin- gle county that contains a great metropolis. Cities are much more favorable to expeditious and unified action than are rural regions. The main political advantage of the city over the coun- try lies in its special opportunities for association on a large numerical scale.

But county machines sometimes call late conventions. Under the Australian ballot, nominations by petition must be filed a