Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-02-28

almost the entire farmer vote has
been polled.
Is there anything which is likely to
keep the farmer at home in pro
vision of law which gives him an en-
tire day, during which he can ADJUST
his business so that he can cast ais
vote at the primaries? Is there any
thing obnoxious to the farmer mind in
law which will relieve him OF the
necessity of taking any chances in his
efforts to secure the expression OF his
will in the nomination of candidates
Is the tiller of the soil SO peculiar thai
he. more than the resident of a city,
wants other people to do for him what
he could do better himself?
Be not afraid. If this bill shall be-
come a law, the dwellers in cities will
go to the primaries and the farmers OF
the state, having voted for the law,
believing in the law, understanding
the law as a class better than the city
voters as a class, knowing that
through it each one has gained
greater power in the state will exer-
else their privilege and their right III
the interest Of their party and in the
interest of the state.
DISTINGUISHED and able gentlemen
who have been an important part in
strong political machines in the past
are now disturbed by the fear and eZ-
press themselves verbosely in numer-
GUS communications to the public,
that the primary election law will give
birth to political machines that will
be dangerous to the public good, and
that when once established they can
not be destroyed. The sudden awaken
ing of these gentlemen to the dan
gers of a machine in politics is one of
the beneficent results already secured
by the proposed law. 1t is undoubtedly
true that if machine can be organ
lied which will reach every voting
precinct in Wisconsin upon the same
day and dominate the primary cleo
tion where the polls are open in the
city for fifteen hours and in the
country for ten hours, it will have a
tremendous grip upon the party or
ganizatiOn and one not easily lOOsened.
1t will be a machine, however, com
posed of the rank and file of the party
itself, and as the central purpose OF
this law is to eliminate machines
limited in number to d few men, to
one in which the entire party, SO far
as possible, may form part, the OBJ
lection urged becomes an argument
for the law.
The claim that this system of
primary elections will bring dema-
gogue5 to the front and send states
men to the rear is hardly worthy Of
reply. 1t involves a disbelief in
popular government and indicates
the belief that the rank and file of
parties have more respect for dis
honest tricksters in politics than they
have for men of ability who do the
right things.
1t is not denied that this law is an
experiment in part, some of it's pro-
visions being absolutely new. The
principle underlying it, however, is
not experimental in any sense. This
government has rested squarely upon
it for over a century 1t is the adap-
tation to primary elections of the
same principle which is now applied
in every precinct of every state in
this Union to general elections We
are not entering 4 new and untried
field of political philosophy and
action. If it were an eXperiment,-a
new excursion into the field Of
political SCience,-a statement of the
tact would not be an argument
against it. This is an age when the
objection new, therefore bad" will
not hold good Certain fundamental
principles which underlie government
and society cannot be improved, but
the manner of applying those princi-
pies can be improved We have no
moro reached perfection in our
social and political life and methods
than we have in science or in art, or
IN any field CT human thought and
action.
The primary election law has come in
response to protests of a large portion
Of the rank and file of all parties and
from the leaders of all parties against
the evils of cauCuses and conventions.
They have demanded a revolution Of
methods Of nomination, not away
from the first principles of this gov
eminent, but toward them. While
the principe involved in this measure
is old as applied to elections, and new
in this state as regards nominations,
it has been tried successfully in por-
lions of Pennsylvania, of Ohio, and in
number of southern states, and has
had one successful trial in Hennepin
county, which includes the city Of
Minneapolis, Mimi. The experience
Of Hennepin county with this law is
such that there is every indication
that the legislature of Minnesota now
in session will extend its operation to
every election precinct in the state.
The claim that this bill is an IN
corporation of the gospel of sus-
picion," dissected, means that the
friends Of the measure suspect that a
large percentage of caucuses and CON
venuOns have not been run as they
should be. They do not suspect any
thing Of the kind. They know it.
No friend of the primary election law
says or believes that all men who
have been active in caucuses and con
ventions We're Influenced by unworthy
motives and guilty of discreditabIe
action. They do claim that these
caucuses and conventions have not
been managed and cannot be man
aged under existing conditions in such
a way as to give full free, honest and
intelligent expression of party judg-