The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-05-17
Our Primary Meetings = How Shall
They be RefOTmedi -


THE Union League, in offering its prizes lor
essays "on the Legal Organization OF the
People to Select Candidates for Once, mas
touched upon subject of great lmpor'snOo'
and one that has seemed to battle all eIortS
made in its calculation. The evils Oh our
present system of primary organizations arg
acknowledged by all who are familiar "l'ii l's
workings. Under 10 the whole machinery OF
politics has virtually passed into the nanuS ol
a class of professional politicians and thelr
attaohes-roughs, rowdies, loaters, ana the
like-and these men dictate to the community
its candidates for Office. The standard OF
official character has declined under the work
ings of this system, until our municipal, State,
and national governments abound in corrupt
and venal men, and the very experiment of
self government seems to be in danger.
II is useless to urge the better class Of citi-
zens to attend our primary meetings, as they
are at present conducted. We say ''useless," F"
because it has been proved SO in practice.
For years they have been urged by the public
prints to attend and control these meetings,
but without avail. The primary meeting has
gone on from bad to worse, until it seems ire
deemable. ''t.t'' 40
The objection that we have most frequently
heard urged against the primary meetings, is
that they are not fairly and honestly con-
Quoted. The professional politicians pack them
with their TOOLS importing roughs and row.
dies from the neighboring wards or precincts
if necessary; the number of votes cast or
counted is regulated by the necessities of the
candidate, and not by the honest choice of the
party; in short, the primary meeting is unani-
mously denounced by all good men as scan
dalous and exasperating fraud. ..s..,o.
And yet something which shall accomplish
what the primary meeting or party caucus
was originally intended to accomplish, seems
necessary in our political system. In other
words, we need, what we do not now have,
some fair, honest, honorable means of ascer-
tanning the real choice of our parties in regard
to their candidates. We need, if possible to
get the nomination of candidates out of the
hands of the professional politicians and the
corrupt ''rings" that they form, and into the
hands of the people at large. The view of
the Union League would seem to be that this
desirable end is to be sought through placing
the machinery of primary party organizations
under the restraints and direction of law.
Whether this be practicable or not, we shall
probably be better able to judge after we shall
have read the essays which the liberal pre-
miums offered, no less than the inherent i'm
pOrtance of the subject itself, are calculated to
elicit.
We are glad that public attention has been
called to this matter. The people impera-
lively demand reform in the management ol
our political parties. The machine hitherto
used must turn out better candidates than il
has done, or the people will break the machine
There Isl at least this last resort left to u.s. The
great exigencies which have seemed to render
party discipline so necessary to the success o
right principles are passing away. The peopl,
are not in mood to have unworthy mel
thrust upon them as candidates for Office, anC
parties that persist in doing so must expect t.
find the outrage promptly redressed at tn,
: polls. The confidence that nomination il
! equivalent to an election must be destroyed
Nominating conventions must be taught tina
the people viii not submit to everything tha
may be ground out, no matter how CAREFUL,
labelled with the party name. The wholesal
slaughter of corrupt nominees at the poll
would soon teach the professional politicians
wholesome lesson,
The legal organization of parties, and tn
holding of primary elections under the regula
tions Of law, might bring about the desired
reform, but we are by no means confident o
such a result. On the contrary, it Nigh
merely add another link to the present chain
A caucus, or preliminary primary meeting
would very likely soon spring up to propos
candidates for the proposed legal primar,
meeting. Every party is internally divides
into cliques and factions; and it would be yer,
difficult, if not altogether impossible, to pre-
vent them from agreeing beforehand upo
candidates to be supported at the primar
meeting. The entire subject is involved i
dihheulty, and we are not sure that any efectus
remedy, aside from that cultivated and arouse
public sentiment which would compel goo
nominations by sacrificing bad ones, will b
discovered The discussion, however. will d
good, and we therefore welcome it.
NauOh"i oahK Circulation and Ban
Failures.
THE superiority OF the National Rank svsto,
over the old systems is very strixinpiv AZ,
played in the effect of failures ON the val,,e
circulation. Under the old System. when
hank faiIad its circulating notas ,rov.