The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-22
THE NOMINATING METHODS
CoNTRAsTED.
THE


non-partisan movement completed
their ticket. They were not more than
a score and they met in secret and
named their candidates in secret; this
was in harmony with all their pro-
! ceedings.
Monday night the primaries of the
I Democratic party met for the purpose
of nominating delegates to the precinct
and city conventions, which in turn
will make nominations for city coun-
cilors and mayor and general ticket.
At these primaries there were present
more than two thousand citizens. They
named some hundreds of citizens as
delegates to the conventions.
Which was the more democratic, the
more popular, the more American way
Of the two? The method pursued by
the bipartisan committee was the
method of an oligarchy, of those who
deem that they have a better capacity,
il not a better right to say who shall
administer the affairs Of the city than
the people, who are most deeply in
terested in them, have. The other
method. that pursued by the Demo
cratic primaries. was to call the people
together in those places where they
usually meet and deliberate on politi-
cal affairs and have them select dele
gates to conventions where candidates
for office should be named. The one
method showed complete distrust of the
people, while the other displayed per-
feet trust in them. And the question
naturally arises: If the people cannot
be trusted at the primaries, where can
they be trusted? Further, if they are
not fit to select those for whom they
shall vote to fill the various city offices,
are they fit to vote for their city Off
GERS when named by a committee sit
| ting and celebrating in secret? Could
anything be more farcical, more of a
mocllery, than to ask the people to
vote for candidates in whose selection
! they were not considered fit TO par
ticipate? 1t would be hard to conceive
of it.
The promoters of the non-partisan
movement did not can primaries be-
cause they distrusted the people, or as
the Deseret News says, which is a
strong advocate Of the movement:
Had the non-partisan committee
called primaries, who would have con-
Quoted them? More important stin,
who would have secured control of
them. Might they not have been so
manipulated as TO reverse the purpose
for which they were called, and make
reform impossible?"
Did anyone try and secure control Of
the primaries Monday night? No one
did; and no one would have tried TO
secure control of non partisan pri-
maries, had the committee in charge
! of the movement called them. except
( the Comparisons themselves.
The gentlemen Of the committee that
has placed a municipal ticket in the
field (they do not exceed a score in
number) can scarcely have a greater
! interest in the honest and economical
administrator of the affairs of this
city than the more than two thousand
/ citizens who attended the primaries
! Monday night. No matter what the
merits or Gemerits of the ticket they
have named. the method pursued is
! positively bad. Ii is the very opposite
of that of a free and popular govern
ment. It is idle to talk about a popu-
lar government when the methods OF
( popular government are spurned. And
the committee that has named the nom
partisan ticket has ignored popular
ways in naming it