Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-03-13
PRIMARY SYSTEM IN PENNsYL-
VANiA.
Arthur Dunn Explains its Workings in
Lackawana County.
Hon. E. Ray Stevens.

1
Dear Sir: In writing about Direct
Primaries, shall state at the outsettwo
propositions which shall serve as a
standard to measure the worth Of this
system:
% The system of Direct Prima.
ries is or is not success in proper
tion as it does or does not conform
more nearly than the delegate system
to the American ideal of government
not only of" and for" the people. but
a government by" the people.
90 The Direct Primary system Is
a success il it results in the selection
of more intelligent. more efficient ans
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 70 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 a 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
20 vote for A. B and C but
who, Mt the convention, reg.
ularly violate their instructions. for
valuable consideration, by voting for
y Il and F. For national example
many of the delegates to the national
republican convention of 1895 were In
strueted and elected for the express
purpose of voting for Mckinley. yet at
| the convention the Pennsylvania dele
cation in a body voted for Quay. Thus
in form we are government by the
many: in reality, government by the
| few: in spirit a government by the
| people; in actually, government by
The politicians: a republic in name; an
oi'garehy in action. Il is argued by
the advocates of the delegate system
that this is not the fault of their sys-
tenn, but the fault OF tn people. Let
the people attend the primaries. they
say, and select the kind of delegates
who win not vicia.s their promises
| In some parts of this country, notably
Kew 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 sac.
celssors and assigns forever. In other
parts of the country, the people have
long since discovered that it Is useless
for them to attend the primaries be-
cause of certain corrupt practices per
missible in the same. For example, A
and are candidates for the same
Office; is the better man and strong
er than A: A runs two sets of dele
gates, one for himself and a fak3 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 IL
| 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 s25 to 1925 head
Deluded, or dishonest, they accept the
argument and incidentally the bride.
The good citizen has become wearied
by years af such experience and has
long since ceased to do anything more
than vote on election day for one OF
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 a controlling factor 1t GER
/ tafnIy needs no further argument to
demonstrate that candidates chosen by
10 per cent of the voting population
do not comprise government by
the peotle. and the results in this
county rave demonstrated that they
do nc. constitute a government for
the people, but rather a government
| for the politician. Those, however,
who are thinking of adopting Direct
Primary System win not be interested
with a categorical list of the evils In
cideut 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 Di-
rect Primary System. or in the words
of tue 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? Lackawpna county, Pennsyl.
yania, can be taken as fair example.
If the Direct Primary System is pro