, 1877-08-11
The Primary system.


is a good one. Among other good plankS
is the following:
That the entire system of primary cleo
lions should be abolished; that legislation
attempting TO throw around such elections
the sanction Of law, has proved aborlye,
and that We earnestly request the next ley
islature to enact law requiring that county
committees of all political parues SHAH Ice
elected In San Francisco at general eleclons,
and that separate ballot-boXes and tickets
for such election shall be placed Al each poll
ing-piace tickets counted and eertned by
the Judges and inspectors Of elections, and
that ycrimg thereat shall be subject 10 the
same penalties as voting Tor general oitIeers-
The primary system has not only failed
in practice to fulfil It's original design,
hct 1t has been productive OF great evils
In large cities II Is an evil and nuisance.
Hsre We have had recent proof Of this
statement that disgusted ell decent men,
temporarily demoralized the democracy,
and Imperled its future. The petty pol
iticians stand by the primaries because OF
them they make a trade. They laugh at
the idea OF an "honest' primary. Even
So respectable politician IS John Kelly,
of New York, declared that it was in fact
''an utter impossiblhty to hold primary
elections III that city that would be eqult-
able and fair, and Mr.. John MOrTlsey
concurred. The meaning OF such admis-
sions is plain enough 1t IS, that the pri-
mary, as political institution in the large
centres of trade and politics, is dead and
lifeless that it is used only as a cover for
the real operations OF campaign; and
that its formal employment at The present
day is merely an instance Of what Is call
ed a Survival.
The early notion of a primary was that
of the assemblage Of the citizens of par
ticular locality and party, for the purpose
of deliberation and comparison OF views
as to the selection Of candidates. Now,
the citizens stay at home, and the candi-
dates 90 themselves, or send representa-
tiyes, and the nominations made by them
are the result of combinations and bar
gains, based on the number Of offices or
the money controlled by the bargaining
party
This Is not a peculiarly Of the demo
Gratis. 1t would certainly be most sin
gular state OF affairs if the primaries of
one party remained pure democratic gath
erings, while those OF the other had be-
come what Morrisey and Kelly described
them. And such Is not the case, as a
contemporary of the radical persuasion
confesses. In al the places where popu-
lation is concentrated, the radical prima-
ries are of Just the same kind as the dem
ccratic, and produce like results. IL many
places, we have radical manipulatorS run
ming democratic primaries. The fact is,
the primary sharpS are without any polit-
ic;.l principles and do not care a straw for
one party more than the other. They are
after spoils, and whichever party WINS
they make money by their skill in man
aging preliminaries.
We had hoped for 2 long time that it
vas possible to have honest primaries,
and SC advocated that, until a better plan
could be devised and substituted, we
should adhere to USAGE But now We are
conyinc i that only IN the mode indi-
SssLCU III Ni4C iiie4oi III Cs-il J4-C4C fG Ill
permanent reform. 70 carry IL out men
must be sent to the legislature who viii
at the next session operate to this end
To purify the primaries is wcl-nigh in
possible They must he abolished, for
Ike vices inherent IN the system are me
radiGa5le. 1t is false hope that We can
get good government again by reforming
the primaries, by getting the good citizen
TO ''attead to his political duties and TO
see to it that ''none but IL men are nom
mated to Office Reform IN the mode of
making nominations must be found IL the
direction Of making the work simple and
easier and providing way III winch the
votes Of persons who do not care to-adopt
the ticket of either party may vote with
out throwing their votes away. The ''pri-
mary" as now constituted, cannot, be re-
formed, so long as it Is as far away from
the actual nominations rs It is now, and
so long as it leads to so many nominations
at every election The best method of
reformation in the primary, is to reform
it out of existence, and do away with the
scandals heretofore generated in It's fretid
atmospheric T. EJaminer