St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-20

time were given to him to feel it. As /
nave said, these objections are common
to the primary election held in any city
ny any party, and neither one is better
than the other.
Time and time again l have seen the
Republican primaries of this city, or. at
least. majority of them, carried by
Democratic voters. who voted at such
primaries at the request and for the
dement, OF their Republicans friends, and
whose votes were received by the Re-
publican Judges of primary elections
with full knowledge of the fact
that they were not members of the
heDubilcan party. And the ballot
boxes are treated precisely in the same
way by each party, and, like a turkey,
they are served stuffed whenever the
taste of either OF the parties demands
mat Sucn plQuancy shall be added to
their flavor. Indeed, in my observation
human nature is very much the same
whether it is Democratic or Republican
or PopuliSt: and while we are to con-
graduate ourselves upon the fact that
the better element predominant in all
OF these parties, we all must admit that
the more dangerous element exists right
alongside OF it.
Ii would De useless to occupy your
valuable space in investigating the
causes that have led 20 this condition of
affairs. We are now confronted by the
condition, and 1t is to meet the evil con-
sequences of that condition that all
thoughtful and conservative citizens
should beStir themselves; for in addi-
ton to the evils which have here only
| slightly alluded To, there is one which
is greater than all; and that is this, that
the primary election, as now conducted
in cities, is the birthplace and school
OF election frauds and of the crimes
| tnat are sought to be committed at the
time of the legal and final election.
Ana 1t is the practices which obtain,
and are not only endured, but are per-
mitted TO be successful at the primaries.
which bring into contempt and account
for the attempted violations of the cleo
ton law.
This is particularly true as to the class
or voters who are not educated in their
duties as electors, and VINO do not feel
the moral responsibility which they
should feel relative to the casting of
their votes. A man from some foreign
government, uncultured, perhaps, I'M
fortunately uneducated, comes TO the
United States and receives the entire
benefit of our citizenship with ali of its
rights and with all of Its responsible
tiles. What lesson is he first
taught by the local politician or
candidate? q speak, of course. only
OF the INSCRIPTIONS oneS.) This newly
| hedSed citizen. who never saw an cleo
| ton, who knows nothing about the bal
| lot or the rights or dignitieS of citizen
| ship, is taught as his first lesson as an
| American citizen that his ballot is a
merchantable commodity to be sold to
the highest bidder. He is taught to dis
regard the election law which forbids
his voting twice or voting in precinct
| to which he does not belong, or casting
an unauthorized ballot; and he is
| taught these lessons in the very first
instance at the primary election where
he can with absolute impunity barter
| his vote, vote as many times as COM
| placent Judge may permit him, and per-
senate as many or the forgotten dead
| as his accent, characteristics or capacity
| will enable him TO do.
How Cali you expect the unculGivated
| and ignorant man receiving such les
! sons TO understand or estimate his
moral responsibility at legal election,
which is precisely the same thing to
| him as that groteSque mockery of it,
the primary, from which he has just
emerged?
Now, a word as to the objections to
| this method which are hinled at in your
editorial: In the first place, it is said
that this method depriveS all of the
| people OF representation. The number
of names of electors put in the box for
each election precinct, if you call it 80
| per cenf, is 10 per cent more than the
number of the same electors who will
appear and vote at the primary cleo
| ton. The chances, therefore, of each
| individual to be selected as dele
| gate are far more than at the
| primaries where there is no chance for
| any other than the elect. Again, it is
said that the city committee may be
| purchased, that persons manipulating
the boxes may be purchased, or as a
| peSSlmist of my acquaintance said, the
entire convention might be purchased.
| Against such wholesale investments
there is no remedy except the honesty of
| the individual. But the increased rep
reSentatiOn on the committee, the in
| creased representation at the cOnven.
ton, and the fact that each delegate
would be known and under public Oh
| servation and amenable to their
| influences from four Or six weeks prior
to the convention, would tend make
the purchase both expensive and haZ-
ardous: and am not one of those who
believe that every man has his price.
1t is true that the resemblance of the
method l have described to the jury
system has been one of its strongest
| recommendations to my favor. 1t NAV
be that the physician and the dentist
have each peculiar remedies. In that
case l should like to hear from them.
But the jury system, after all, Is the
| system under which all law is and for
ever will be administered il the United
States; and if the method l have sug.
gested is found the best by which we can
select body of men who have the de-
termination of our lives, our character,
our liberty and our property rights alb.
solutely i'll their hands. it ought to be a
sufficient method by which we can select
our public servants to transact the Off
cial business of the community.
| accept with thanks your pleasant
compliment that am lover OF ti.tion.
An earnest and careful student of your
valuable journal and our other local
public guides, the cultivation of that
taste is perhaps necessary to proper
apr, citation of them. And perhaps,
after all, my objection to the present
primary system is founded upon the
knowledge that its evil consequences
are facts so firmly established and sc
far reaching i'll their evil consequences
that municipal politics have come to be
a synonym for everything which is dis
honest, unworthy ana degrading in the
political career of an American citizen
| Yours C.. ID. ORRIEN