Mexico weekly ledger., 1884-04-17
FILLEY AND vANHORN.
Primary Election.

Primary ElectiOHs
To the Editor OF the LEDGER.
MEXICO, Mo-, April 15.-WM you
publish the following ideas concern
ing a primary election, and oblige a
farmer, and n who on
" wants justice in having the whole
voice of the party heard in the nomi-
nation of candidates:
Representation, according to pop
ulation, is the controlling idea of all
Republican governments. and per-
meates the system from the highest
to the lowest degre" of representa-
tiyeness.
If it were otherwise, the barren and
uninhabitcd plains within the geo.
graphical limits of eight counties OF
Western Kansas would have the same
voice in Congress that the Seventh
District of Missouri has, with its
140, 900 inhabitants. 1t would have
the same voice in the choice OF a
Democratic President in the conven-
ton at Chicago that our COMPRESSION
al district will have. Representa-
ton by numbers is the basis Of all
party nominating bodies in this coun-
try. In the state convention we have
one delegate for e cry 500 Demo-
cratic voters in the county, and so it
is on down in the congressional, ju-
dicial and senatorial conventions
one delegate to represent a certain
number of Democratic voters. The
only place then that this principle Is
wholly ignored is by the school dis.
trict plan, as heretofore made use OF
in this county to nominate county
officers.
The school district, with forty
Democratic voters IN it, has one del
egate so the district with ten Dem
ocratic voters has M delegate. Sc
ten men have the same voice in the
convention that forty have, accord
ing to this plan. Two districts with
ten Democratic voters, each, then
have twice the voice of the one with
forty; or twenty voters have twice
as much strength in the convention
as forty voters.
Fandalla with its eighty Democrat
ic voters has no more voice in the
convention than Michigan school
house, two miles south, with its
twelve or fifteen.
The Snead school house with its
nine voters, a few miles north of Mex.
leo, IN the convention of 1882 had
the same voice in the convention as
the Hiner schoo, house with its thir.
ty Democratic voters.
The conventions heretofore held
under this plan are abundant. with
just such examples. 1t does moi
need any further argument to show
the rank injustice of his plan, and
that a minority, o very small one al
that, may make a nomination.
So the only thing left is to try the
regular primary election, which
has been used heretofore in this
county, and the only plan made use
of generally in the counties through
out the state OIL carry out the school
district plan still further. Make it
embody in some way or other, the
principle of representation by num-
bers, or let the people hold their prl-
mary elections at the various school
houses in the country and wards in
the towns. Combine the school dis
trict plan with the p mary election,
then you have all the convenience of
the former and all the fairness OF
the latter. The matter of making
choice then of the candidates is
brought just as close to the people as
it can be done, and every voter gets
a chance to express his choice, and
stand or equality with every othel
vote cast in the county. If there
are more than two candidates for The
same office, it is just as easy to have
ballots arranged fol second choice as
it is for first, and if voting is had in
the school districts and wards, count.
ing up for second choice adds very
little to the work of the judges ant
clerks, and it is just as easy ant
simple. Equal representation, fair.
ness and simplicity in making oul