The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-07-05
PRIMARY ELECTIONS.

PRIMARY ELECTIONS.
THE AUSTIN STATESMAN, the Hous'
ton Post and the Galveston Dallas
News all have the same end in view
and that is to assure every Democrat
a vote for his choice candidate, whether
selected by primary elections or other
wise, the end being fair elections.
THE STATESMAN proposed primary
elections, each voter casting his vote
directly for the candidate OF his choice
and the ward or precinct delegation
instructed to support in the county
convention the candidate having the
majority of votes, and so on.
The Post proposed that primary
elections should be carried on by mail
each voter selecting his choice OF dele
gates and forwarding it by mail to the
chairman of the ward or precinct. We
suppose that is what the Post means
by voting by mail.
The Galveston-Dallas News made
issue with both THE STATESMAN and
the Post and advocated the abolition
of all primary elections, THE STATES .
MAN replied that some preliminary ac-
ton was necessary to prevent defeat
of the Democracy by allowing three
candidates to run for one Office against
one of the Republican or Populist par>
ty and for the further purpose of pre-
serving the organization of the party.
The News rejoins why preserve
and feed organizations that depend
for preservation and sustenance upon
a confessedly corrupt system of pre-
liminary scheming and robbery Is a
party worth keeping alive and lusty
that cannot conduct fair election
among its own members?"
Certainly not, but the principles of
the Democratic party are worth pre-
servation and therefore THE STATES
MAN wants to find some mode by
which party organization can be OBJ
tanned and fair primary elections
secured. The News in referring to its
proposition to abolish all primary
elections says:
"The change suggested by The News
would apply to all alike and would pre-
vent any one party concentrating upon
a nominee in order to defeat the can
didates of some other party which left
all it's candidates free to run. Coupled
with the condition that not less than a
majority vote should elect, the rule
would work evenly for all parties and
all candidates. There could then be
no concentration that could give the
election to the ticket plurality fac
tion. THE STATESMAN refers especial
ly to Travis county, where it says;
If all three of the candidates for coun
ty Judge had been turned loose to
run before the people, all three OF
them would have been beaten, the
vote of the party would have been so
split up as to give any one candidate,
Independent, Populist or Republican,
a majority of the votes" This is not
so because none of the parties men
toned could have held conventions or
primaries if these were prohibited 10y
! law or abolished by custom. But the
Democratic nominee is not always the
! best man for the Office and his defeat
for judgeship is not always mis-
! fortune. The successful man before q
county primary or convention is fire
uuently the most obnoxious dema~
gogue in the race. La such a case
party success is by no means as necesN
sary as THE STATESMAN seems tC
consider it,
The News is by no means a politician
if it believes that any party would mo-
take advantage of two or three candi
dates Of its opposing party to run on,
man against the field and win. Nor ha,
The News refreshe its legal learnin.
| if it is under the impression thai ;
prohibition by law to hold conven
tious or primaries would be constitI
tional, The law would not therefor,
be effective aud it makes no difference
about how much custom had abolished
primaries, such a condition would in
duce party TO trot out its one hors
against the field. with the chance
reversed in a horse race as to the win
ner. 1t may be, as The News asserts
that the Democratic nominee is no
always the best man for the Office.
That may be true, bat for the sake o
organization and for the sake OF pre-