Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1900-08-22
OBJECTIONS TO PRIMARY ELECTION Law.

OBJECTIONS TO PRIMARY ELECTION Law.
from Milwaukee SentinelI
Mere opposition to proposed plan or
policy is poor argument to advance
against it. especially when the purpose
of the plan is acknowledged to be good
and when the motive of the opposition
presumably is bad. There may be valid
objectio's to the primary election law
which M La Toilette advocated and
the republican convention has pledged
the party to place in operation in this
state. The assertion that an enactment
Of this character would centralize polit-
ical power in the cities is not one of
| them because it is not true. One OF the
best reasons why such law is desirable
is that it would restore political power,
or at least the right to exercise it, TO
the individual voter, and place each
citizen upon an exact equality wit h
every other citizen in the selection of
candidates as well as in their election.
Wherein is law to regulate primary
elections any more paternal or more OBJ
jectionable than law which regulate
the elections that succeed themY Why
tolerate caucus lawaY Why not return
TO the more time-honored sys tenn which
obtained when the most powerful
brawlers carried the Third ward and
the most noisy rowdies were reasonably
sure of the delegation in the Fourth
and when the citizen undertook to par
! ticipate in any ward would find it more
comfortable to exercise the duties of
citizenship by leaving self-respect at
| home
Why any law Why not this peculiar
democracy indebted? and let the ward
heelers and party bosses say to the state
As some of them now say in effect to
the citizen. We are capable of man
aging this matter we will select your
candidates for you without any control
or restI amt by law"
OF course these ready organs Of ma
chine politics and opponents u primary
election law do not say 50 much, but do
they mean anything less in what til ely
do say Does any one of them assume
! to defend the existing caucus and con
/ vention system as fair to the voters or
az desirable in the interest of honest and
Independent candidates! Has any one
of them undertaken to show wherein
| tae proposed change would work injury
to any commendable cause or jeopardize
the right Of any citizen?
There viii be abundant time for men
Of average intelligence to acquire under
sanding of the proposed measure Def ore
it can be enacted 1t is highly desirable
that every 'obje, ton shall be given
consideration and every possible defect
avoided 1t may become necessary to
/ pay frequent and close attention to thosel
who design only delay in the accom-
!. plishment of achievement which they
affect to approve because impotent to
prevent, and seriously to meet the funny
advances OF some whose desire to be
conspicuous in discussion is sadly out of
proportions with their knowledge of the
subject. But in the end the opposition
will disappear and Wisconsin will have
primary elections az orderly and well
conducted as her general elections and
ha e been since the advent of the Aus
tralian ballot: Whether or not there
will be as great improvement in govern
ment and in public officials as is pre-
dicted by some of the advocates of the
change must depend upon the intelli
gence and interest of the individual
voter. 1t cannot be regarded as an ex
travagsnt use of the right or power of
government to afford the citizen oppor-
tunity for, and to protect him in, the
exercise of his intelligence and interest
in the duties of citizenship under a rep
resentative government.