Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
PRIMARY SYSTEM IN PENNSYL-
VANIA.
Arthur Dunn Explains Its Workings in
lackawana County.


| Dear Sir: In writing about Direct
Primaries, shall state at the outsettwo
propositions which shall serve as
standard to measure the worth of this
system:
Cd The system of Direct Prina-
ries is or is not a success in proper
| ton as it does or does not conform
more nearly than the delegate system
to the American ideal of a government
not only of and for" the people, but
a government by" the people
90 The Direct Primary system is
a success if it results in the selection
of more intelligent, more efficient and
more honest set of governing officials
than are obtained under the delegate
system.
AS to the first proposition, the gov
! ernments of Europe for the most part
are, and do not claim to be anything
more than governments of the people
and for the people. In addition to
! these, government by the people is
claimed by America. Where a people
/ IS capable of governing itself through
its own chosen representatives. with
the power to continue or annul that
choice. such government is a govern
ment by" the people and is called a
republic. Is the United States Of
America such a government? Do the
| people elect their own chosen repre-
sentatives? Rather, do not they elect !
| representatives chosen by others than
| themselves? 1t is one thing to vote
| for. but quite another thing to both
| choose and elect. In theory the people
| OF this country, at stated times. attend
primaries for the selection of delegates
to attend city, county or state con-
vention, as the case may be. duly in
structed to vote for A, B and c. In
practice, about 10 per cent of the cleo
tors attend such primaries, held
at the convenience of the party
managers, elect delegates instructed
! to vote for A, and c but
who. at the convention, reg
ularly violate their instructions, for a
valuable consideration, by voting for
D, E and f. For national example
many of the delegates to the national
republican convention of 1896 were in
structed and elected for the express
purpose of voting for Mckinley, yet at
the convention the Pennsylvania dele
cation in body voted for Quay. Thus
in form We are a government by the
many; in reality, a government by the
few: in spirit, government by the
people; in actuality, a government by
it,
oligarchy in action. 1t is argued by
the advocates of the delegate system
that this is not the fault of their sys-
tenn, but the fault of the people Let
the people attend the primaries, they
say, and select the kind of delegates
who will not violate their promises
In some parts of this country, notably
New York city, the primaries are so
thoroughly in the hands of the select
few, that the mass of voters either
have not the right to vote at primary
elections, or years ago delegated that
right to the said select few their sue
cessors and assigns forever. In other
parts of the country, the people have
long since discovered that it is useless
cause of certain corrupt practices per-
Missile in the same. For example, A
and B are candidates for the same
office; B is the better man and strong
er than A; A runs two sets of dele
gates, one for himself and fake set
for B; in vain B disavows the latter
delegates; they succeed in splitting his
vote. Either AS delegates are elected.
or BIS fake delegates are elected. If
BIS real delegates are by chance
elected, they are told by AS managers
that A has enough other votes to be
elected on the first ballot; that, there
fore, they had better vote for A and
receive their expenses for attending
the convention, which have ranged In
this county from $25 to 1925 a head.
Deluded, or dishonest, they accept the
argument and incidentally the bribe.
The good citizen has become wearied
by years of such experience and has
long since ceased to do anything more
than vote on election day for one or
two candidates neither of whom is his
choice. Moreover, the delegate sys-
tenn is wrong in principle. The merits
of a candidate are often hid behind
the efforts of his delegates. People too
often vote for the delegates without re-
gard to the candidate. The element of
personal friendship for the delegate is
too often controlling factor. 1t GER
tainIy needs no further argument to
demonstrate that candidates chosen by
10 per cent of the voting population
do not comprise a government by
the people, and the results in this
county have demonstrated that they
do not constitute a government for"
the people, but rather a government
for the politician. Those, however,
who are thinking of adopting Direct
Primary System will not be interested
with a categorical list of the evils In
cident to the delegate system. You
are familiar with them, you are ready
to Join with me in pronouncing the
delegate system a failure. The ques-
ton in your mind is, VIII the present
conditions be ameliorated by the Dt-
rect Primary System, or in the words
of the second proposition, Does the
Direct Primary System result in the
selection of a more intelligent, more
efficient and more honest set Of off
Gals than are obtained by the delegate
system? Lackawana county, Pennsyl-
vania, can be taken as a fair example.
If the Direct Primary System is pro-
ductive Of better results here, it will
be productive of better results every
uhara Thrna wears ago orr CITY and