The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-08-24
FRIDAY. AUGUST "a, 1866.
The Tmporauce of Primary Meetings.

few reflections concerning the importance o
these gatherings, as constituting an insepa
rable portion of our present system OF politi
cal machinery. We do not seem able in thi.
country to get along without parties. Til J
appear to be essential to the actualization o
ideas. But whether our system of party ma
chinery is the best that might be devised, is
open to serious doubt. still, so long as all
parties seem inclined to adopt it, the part o
wisdom is to get out of it the best results
possible.
The caucus or party convention interposes
its action between toe voter and his choice OF
officers, The theory of these primary meet
ings is one thing; the practice is quite an
other. The theory is that nominations are
made by the general voice OF the members of
a party; the practice is that the primary
meetings are attended and controlled by a
very small number of persons, and they gene
rally OF character least fit for the important
functions they exercise. But when nomina-
tions are once made, then the whole force OF
party organization and discipline is brought
to bear to secure their ratification at the polls.
Nor is there any longer practical choice left
to the voter. he must take either the nomi-
nee OF his own party or that of the opposite
party, or he must throw his vo away. If his
own party have nominated an unworthy man
personally, he must either support him, or, by
supporting his opponent, must contribute to
the success Of what he regards as disls rous
principles. 1t is thus that in every election,
and by both parties, unworthy men are toisted
into office.
1t is true that sometimes the action of
party caucus is so garingy obnoxious to the
members OF the party at large that they
refuse to ratify it, but far more frequently
bad man is allowed to pass unscathed rather
than hazard the supremacy OF the organiza-
ton.
Still more, wherever, as in great majority
OF cases, either party has a decided prepon-
derance over its opponent, then a nomination
becomes equivalent to an election, and the
supposed choice exercised by the mass
OF the voters becomes mere fiction. The
real election is made in the primary meetings,
the public and formal election is but a mere
ratification of choice already made. 1t thus
often happens that a mere handful of active
political tricksters really dictate offices to
tens Of thousands OF honest and intelligent
people.
The great vice of our system OF political
machinery is that these important primary
meetings are left almost wholly to the profess
sional politicians. The great masses of the
people do not attend them. The sober, the
rejecting, the prudent men-the very ones
that ought to be present-are rarely there and
the roughs, the bummers, the tide-Waiters the
follows who live off of the plunder of political
camps, have it all theirown way. They do not
always nominate bad men. Indeed, it is won
derful that hey 80 often nominate good ones.
The tone ofpublic sentiment makes itself felt
clear down to this slower deep" of politics,
and the party mill grinds out some good grists.
But the general result is to put the control of
party machinery into the hands of a low
style of men-men to whom no prudent mer-
chant, or shipper, or other business man would
intrust his pecuniary interests. Another re-
suit is that to too great an extent the best
class of men we have, those who would most
highly adorn public station, and most worthlly
fll public offices, are crowded off Of the politi-
cal arena. There are notable exceptions, it is
true, but the general statement is indisputabIe.
The remedy TOR all these things is to be
found with the people themselves. 1t does
no good to rail at the political parties. The
doors are open at the primary meetings Tor
all citizens to attend. Ibis they should do,
and exercise a direct and positive influence
upon the nominations. 1t is quite as much
Of q duty as voting upon election day.
The manner, too, of holding these primary
meetings could be improved. Instead of
doing the entire work during few hours in
an evening, it would be better TO follow
custom in vogue in many parts of the West,
and devote an entire day to the primary
meetings, conducting them with all the for
mality OF regular, lawful elections In this
way much more general expression of the
public sentiment of parties would be OBJ
tanned, and much higher style OF nomina-
tiOns secured. But SO long as the better class
OF citizens abandon the entire machinery of
parties to the pro OCCASIONAL politicians, we shall
be obliged to endure evils which all must see
and deplOre.
The AImsbOuse ecIared N Nuisauca