The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-02
THE HEREsY OF ROBERT La FOL-
LETTE.

THE HEREsY OF ROBERT LA FOL-
LETTE.
It is but two years ago since La Fol-
lette, the present Republican candidate
for governor of Wisconsin, was being
roundly denounced by the politicians of
his party for his insistence on the neces-
sity of extending to the voters the power
to make nominations by direct vote with
out the intervention of elaborate ma
chinery involving numerous primaries
and conventions. Mr.. La Toilette OBJ
jected to the voters being compelled to
delegate to a representative their right
to nominate candidates.
His views were bitterly opposed by a
large and powerful section of his party,
but this year he has succeeded in not
only securing the gubernatorial nominal
ton but in imposing his opinions upon
his party. He secured The adoption of the
following plank in the Republican state
platform:
1.-THE great reformation effected in our
general elections through the Australian
ballot inspires us with confidence to ap-
ply the same method in making nomina-
tons, so that every voter may exercise
his sovereign right of choice by direct
vote without. the Intervention or inter
ference of any political agency. We
therefore demand that caucuses and con-
Ventions for the nomination Of candidates
for office be abolished by legislative enact
ment and that all candidates for, state.
legislative and county offices be nomir q ed
at primary election upon the same day
by direct vote under the Australian bal
lot.''
Without venturing at this time to pass
upon the merits of the-S plan thus pro-
posed tosthe voters Of Wisconsin, it may
be said in a genera way that the direct
nomination. Of candidates at q. primary
election is a decided step in the direcz
ton of return to first principles. Popu-
lar elections as we now know them owe
their. origin to the ancient Saxons and
Scandinavians. with whom the freeman
and freeholder was the unit of power
and primary source of government. AT
stated times these freemen, In mass
meeting assembled, elected their tempo
rary rulers from their own number, and
every freeman had a voice and a vote in
the election without fear or restraint,
provided he was not an outlaw.
The town meeting of the New England
states is about the nearest approach to
the original Saxon method existing todey
in the United States. The general mass
meeting for the nomination of candidates
has been generally abolished in most Of
the states, and, as in Minnesota its place
is taken by complicated system of pri-
mary elections and delegate conventions
Under the system of precinct primaries
as employed for the nomination of party
candidates in st. Paul. the voter finds
still more machinery interposed between
him and the nominee, and the citizen,
when he votes at a precinct primary for
the election CT a delegate or set of dele
gates to a county convention called for
the purpose of electing othe. delegates
to state convention where candidates
for state offices are to be nominated, has
as a rule not the slightest idea what the
outcome will be nor who the delegate for
whom he casts his ballot will vote for.
The result of this system cannot fail
to be loss Of interest among the voters
in the preliminary steps of an election
and not infrequently considerable dis
satisfaction with the party ticket as
finally named. It Is well known that it
is next to impossible to induce the
average citizen to attend primary, and
the cause of his apathy probably lies in
the fact that he feels he is not allowed to
participate in the game but is only used
as a background for the politicians.
1t Is probably true that party success
depends upon having the voters feel that
they are personally responsible for the
running of the candidates and that thew
are personally identified with the aims
and aspira tons of the party. If every
citizen were afforded voice and vote in
the nomination of the candidates, a
liveiier and mere intelligent interest
might be taken in an election, and the
people would have themselves to thank
CT to blame for the personnel of their
party tickets.