OCR Text |
Show OREM MA YOR NO. 8 LUZELL ROBBINS .... ... r 1 ? - ' - J I III 1- - 1958 Vlthough many people are accustomed to describing the United States as a pure democracy, in the tenth essay of The Federalist, published in 1787, James Madison called the proposed Federal Government a republic, rather than a democracy. A republic, said Madison, possesses a scheme of representation, while he reserved the term democracy for what is now called pure democracy. In ancient Greece and Rome all the citizens took active part in the legislative and administrative functions. Survivals of pure democracy are found today in the smaller cantons of Switzerland, where the voters have been accustomed for hundreds of years to meet in open meadows for the purpose of electing their officers, voting taxes, and passing ordinances. The town-meeting which still prevails in some New England towns is . another example of local government, conducted as a pure democracy. Another example is the system of nominating conventions which prevailed for many years in the Town of Orem. Actually, Orem's system was something of a hybrid, since the candidates to serve on the Town's Board of Trustees were initially selected in local political conventions of citizens, conducted by the Peoples Party and the Citizens Party. Those conventions were usually held at the same time, and on the same day, so that no citizen would be able to participate in both conventions. Typically, the candidates of each political party would campaign together, as a bloc. Sometimes, the entire slate of one party, or the other, would be elected on the General Election Day. At other times, some candidates of both parties would be elected. It was not unusual for some people to participate in one party's convention, one year, and the other party's convention two years later. The partisan politics of Republicans and Democrats had little influence in Orem's municipal elections. One ingredient which made Orem elections sometimes, heated, and the subject of much debate, was the differing opinions of a number of outspoken citizens in the community, regarding matters of current concern. Elections were, entirely, unpredictable. Back in the 1950's a relatively new resident of Orem, a Realtor by the name of Bill Baker, became rather outspoken about some issues in the community, and managed to get himself nominated for the office of Orem Mayor by one of Orem's political parties. Baker ran a vigorous campaign, and said he had received commitments from quite a number of citizens to vote for him on election day. When the votes were counted, Bill Baker received only a handful of votes, and Mayor J.W. Gillman was re-elected. Baker took his defeat good-naturedly, but he often said that he never could understand how he could have received fewer votes, than the total number of people who had promised to vote for him, before the election.. All of which, goes to show that in Orem elections, Page 43 |