The herald., 1897-01-31


political primaries. The primary Law
with the amendments proposed will d
three things:
Tirst-Greatly increase the cost Of ou
political government
Second-Range the citizens int,
parties before the final determination
Of the platforms or selection of candi
dates. The citizen who goes into a eau
Gus, primary or convention gives at thu
very least an implied consent to abide b!
its decision.
Third-Perpetuate the primary ant
convention system of political methot
and saddle 1t upon us by law.
We want none Of these things. Thi'
primary ballot law bill would ddsfran
cl11se those who did not commit them
selves at the primary. Persons not vot
ing at the primary could not vote at tn,
election. 1t Is clear then that the pri.
mary election would be the real cleo.
tiou. The general election succeeding
tho primary thus conducted would bt
merely the official record Of what had
been done, because the count Of the
voters for each party at the primaries
would determine beforehand who would
be successful at the election.
All voters eligible to vote at the cleo
tion ranged up in party primaries by
law and thus committed to the primary
results would make any succeeding elec-
ton unnecessary.
The most active advocates of this bill
are not those who are most anxious to
get rid of primary and convention
trades, deals and corruptions. These
advocates are particularly anxious to
get rid of political lines in To-
cal matters where national political
questions have no place. 1t seems
strange thing that a party desiring to
conduct local government free from par
tisan domination and upon local is
sues and by business methods should be
thus pushing bill that fastens the
party primary upon us by law for the
first time in the history of this or of any
republic.
The American people the reformers
included, have lost sight of the fact
that the constitution of no state, nor the
constitution of all the states united, rec
ognizes in any way primaries or conven-
tions. In fact, as we have clearly seen,
the primary and convention is fungus
growth that has come to endanger the
good government of cities, states and of
the nation. 1t has no warrant for its
version exists in any other country un-
der any sort of government whatever
No self-gOverning country has political
primaries except the United States.
The detail of local government that
still persists with US was excellent for
sparse and generally homogeneous
population, such as that characterize
ing the birth of the republic. A system
under the old New England township
of electing all the officers was sound and
democratic. The voters rarely exceeded
one hundred in the township. They all
knew each other from childhood and in
q way that our restless and cosmopoli-
tan population cannot understand.
The election then was in an open meet
Ing with all the voters present. The
public business was then conducted and
determined, and the taxes fixed. There
was then no party curse of practical
partisan boodlery upon America. We
had no primaries and no conventions.
The people were in fact an entity. OH
GERS appointed could be directed in
their work by the people and held re-
sponsible to the people.
But things have changed. Popula-
ton has become dense. Voters instead
OF being few score are piled UP in
thousands in great city after great city.
The meeting of all the voters together
to act as a legislature and executive,
and to appoint, direct and examine pub
lie officers Is totally impossible 1t
was the outgrowing of, the general meet
ing of the township that forced the in
vention of the convention and the party
primary. 1t was either that or a change
of system. The primary came on us
and in its completeness in
very recent years. Few, indeed, realize
how new all this primary and conven-
tion business is. 1t has been full of
frinkQrXr fnct
but its worst feature is that it holds US
down to party lines in local matters.
That is its general effect.
The people will surely realize that
in the convention however con-
stituted they have lost control entirely
of the nomination for public officers.
There are in city, for instance, so
many officers to elect that a proper
searching out for capable and honest
men would require much time and
study to secure satisfactory result
No convention can give the time to do it.
And as a matter of fact a political con-
vention today merely decides between
different aspirants for office. 1t does
not itself, deliberate and search for
competent men. The decision as to most
OF the nominations depends on previous
organization and trading com mbinations.
The people choose between the nominees
OF the different conventions, but thew
have no real choice of their officers
They merely choose one or another SET
of politicians. The system itself makes
the man who has real taste and capac-
ity for public life political trader and
a self-seeker. 1t brings out his lower
qualities and dwarfs the higher and bet.
ter ones. Besides this the system
brings into public life the whole class of
ne'er-do-wells and makes them into a
sordid band of conspirators against the
pubic purse, and, what is far worse,
against the public morals in public af-
fairs.
The remedy for these notorious and
admitted evils does not lie In more
strongly riveting the systems vices on
U.s. The remedy is in changing a sys-
tenn that changed conditions has render
ed dangerous.
We have never had an expert book
keeper and accountant as auditor in Los
Angeles oity or county Are the people
to find one or to vote for
one! The answer is uneouivocallv
yes. The people are incapable of Sc
lecting intelligently an army of experts
and specialists in different lines under
our present system.
Even now the people do not attempt to
elect each fireman, each policeman or
eacn clerk In the public service. ANY
one can see the impossibility of such q
metnod or transacting the public bust
ness What they should see equally
clearly is the impractical character OF
the present irresponsible and disjointed
ScheIne. NO man who goes to the polls
at any election has sufficiently infelli-
gent knowledge of the majority nf ~
candidates from whom he n,usf ,,sf
choose to warrant fxipo, ,L..