The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-11-30

the rival lists gotten up by candidates
for one Office and is not permitted to
exercise his choice as to candidates
for other offices 1t would seem that
party machinery, in some manner,
should be amended so as to permit the
individual to exercise his choice as to
all the offices. If the principal inter-
est centers in the nomination for gov
ernor the candidates for the other state
Offices simply have to take their
chances on the outcome of that fight,
and the same condition prevails as to
the individual choice of the voter.
He can express his will on governor
only. There are other alleged evils
connected with the present system.
Such as trading among candidates in
convention and alleged improper use
of money l am one of those who be-
lieve that there is much less money
used Improperly in politics than is
generally supposed the notion that
nearly all politicians are dishonest and
that candidates and party managers
make it the rule to corrupt voters and
to purchase votes is in the main un-
founded. No doubt much Eruption
of this character prevails, but l doubt
if any system of primary elections can
be devised which would materially
lessen the evil The common belief
that all politicians are corrupt is
largely due to charges of corruption
made by the managers of one party
against the other thereby attempting
to influence votes but perhaps to a
greater extent is due to the allegations
of woul be reformers who know
nothing about politics because they
have refused to take any part therein.
In this connection I am impressed
with the statement made by Governor
R oosevelt in the Outlook of May 1900
wherein he admits that we need fear
less criticism of dishonest men and
even of honest men on any point
where they go wrong, but more than
all else we need absolute honesty in
public life, but we shall not get it I'M
til we remember that truthtelling must
go hand in hand with it, and that it
is quite as important not to tell an I'M
truth about decent man as it is to
tell the truth about one who is not
decent.
Much thought has been given to
the question of reforming tn e present
system and many plans have been sug-
gested. In our own state have been
passed the laws above referred to and
in this connection it is at this time of
especial interest to note the attempt
made by our last legislature, which
enacted law applying only to cities
of the first class in this state, in fact
applying only to the city of Mime
apolis. The first primary election in
Minneapolis under this new law was
held in September last. This law dis
penses wholly with all caucuses and
conventions and provides for direct
primary election for the nomination of
candidates to Office by the members
of the parties voting directly for their
choice among the candidates on the
Australian ballot system it is an at
tempt to get back to the principle of
the New England town meeting and to
dispense entirely with the delegate
principle whether it will prove salts
factory remains in doubt, but after
one trial the public press not only of
Minneapolis but of other cities in the
state demand that it be given further
trial before it shall be repealed or
amended. OF course, it has aroused
the violent antagonism of the man
who make politics his exclusive bust
ness. However, many others are doubt
full of its success it's friends claim
that it has worked favorably, needs
no amendment and has come to stay !;
one peculiar feature of this law is that
the candidates for all the different
parties are selected at the same time !;
the judges of election meet, on a
specified day, as board of registra
ton the voter registers at this time
and, at the time of registering de-
posits with the election judges his
Australian ballot upon which he votes
for candidates for nomination and,
under the provisions of the law, he
may keep secret his party utilization,
not disclosing whether he has voted
for candidates for nomination for one
party or for the other. The enemies
of the law attack this feature more
vigorously than any other, as it allows
without possibility of detection, a
Democrat to vote for candidates for
nomination on the Republican ticket
or Republican to vote for candi-
date for nomination on Democrat
ticket
Discovering defects is of little use
unless they be capable of remedy.
Remedies for existing evils are not
easily applied, if known, and if un
known our difficulties are increased,
but in either case it is our duty to
discover and apply the remedy, of
possible. Therefore, I trust that the
Minneapolis primary election law will
be given an adequate test If it shall
prove ineffective. other remedies may
be tried, and, no doubt, eventually
satisfactory system will be devised.