The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1882-05-19
DIVIDED OPINION.
The Various ideas rs TO Prima-
RIGS and Conventions.

Not only in McLennan but also in
most of the other counties in this sec
ton of The state comes the report that
people are very much divided in opin-
ion as to the advisability of either pri-
maries or conventions. We are speak
ing now, of course, of democrats, for it
is well enough known that, Texas being
an overwhelmingly democratic st .ts.
the republicans, green-backers and all
sorts would be opposed. This feeling
among democrats, many OF whom
belong to the old school and
never drew anything but democratic
breath Is not Of a few months growth
but has been manifested in the last two
or three years at various ways 1t is
confined more particularly tolthe people
IN the rural districts, and theN base their
opposition to primaries and conventions
on the grounds that politicians and
town people always control them in their
own interest and the will OF the MAORI
ty is very often defeated by practices
that are not altogether honorable. On
these grounds many of them declare for
free-for-all races and let everybody run
who will. We are not prepared to say
that there is not more or less trickery
accom- 1ished IN primaries and plenty
of it in conventions, but the country
people offer Il poor excuse for independ-
ent races, when they say that town peO-
pie and politicians control them. The
vote of McLenuan county outside OF
Waco gives the ruralist the power in
stead of we deniZens of the dusty street
and in counties where there are no large
Incorporated towns their power is much
greater. But as one very sound, con-
servatiye democrat from a neighborlng
county said yesterday, the two sides of
the case should be looked at. Democ-
racy in its history at all times has
/ thought that primaries and conventions
were a necessity as means OF
protection. 1t has always had
within the fold good and true men
whom it could put forward for an Office
and when it had several who were aspi-
rants it was always thought best that
convention should decide wl4.h
should be the choice and in all cases,
though sometimes perhaps unpleasant to
a respectable minority they and their
candidate gave their support to the
nominee. This has been the cause of
democratic success wherever and when
ever the party has been successful. We
could see no harm in open races We're
it not that more serious objections
could be brought against that
method than have been brought
against either primaries or
conventions. Not to go outside our
own county, i Is fact that should two
OF our well known democrats appear as
rivals for any Office, we care not what
one, in an OIeu race they would divide
/ the vote 20 such an extent that q green
/ hacker or even negro could step upon
an independent platform with better
+ prospects of getting INTO office than
either OF them, for he would get the
/ whole repubican-greenba -independ-
emf vote of both races. The same would
/ be the case III every county III the
state. II requires organization to
keep any purity together. In repub-
llcHn Maine or Minnesota where the
democratic party has little chances, we
( never hear OF such thing as an indie
pendent race. II there were not reasons
IN all instances to fear that certain e.e-
meuts, where they find two or more good
men IL OpUsItI0n 20 each other, might
step IL am fulst o man upon the people
that the majority 30 not want there
would be little use for those machines
known as primaries, county and state
conventions. But in the present age
there Is a vast amount of corruption III
politics and quite as much if
not more harm in the indepen-
dent as III the organized system
Of presenting candidates. 1t would
seem that in county matters there is
little nse for more than announcement
that certain aspirants will run, for we
are nearly all democrats, yet, two good
men might be the cause of putting one
very bad one IN office, if all three
were running. As far as any candidates,
who have been heard OF in this county,
/ they are al good men and would honor
/ themselves and the county il elected,
/ but there Is always danger in departing
from what Is known to be a safe custom,
and those who clamor so hard for q rnce
III which anyone can run" may be in
nocently defeating themselves in the
ends they desire to attain for their own
and the public good.