The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-28

of the newspapers 1t was asserted that
if there we're to be no conventions and no
delegates to do the work the public would
not personally know much about the cam
didates, were in no such condition as
the politicians to make selections, and
hence the newspapers must be relied
upon to enlighten the. people, and that
that was too much p0WerSto place in the
hands of the owners of the press. In
short the argument was that political
bosses and heelers were more to be trust
the newspaper -editorsS 5The argument
was futile one, and the people only
smiled at it. Now that argument has
been laid to rest. si3tE
One result of the law has been a prac-
tical proof that it marks the death knel
of the professional politician, and would
ultimately down Tamln1any. Minneap-
oils had club known as the Hennepin
County Republican association, which was
worked on the order ofeTammany, and
every ore of its candidates were defeated
at the primary. election. The result was
that this club which had controlled many
elective Offices, and had actually dictated
half of the civic appointments, has p-ac-
tically gone out of existence. or course
the law cannot Immediately kill every
boss. It took years of the convention
system to create him and he must flour
ish for a time, but no new bosses can be
made and grow fat under the Day pri-
which he can work. Therefore, as soon
as the old line of bosses go out of bust
ness, there will be no new ones to take
their places. The fact is that the law in
Minneapolis has interested the better
class OF people in primary politics, and
they are proud and willing to go to the
polls now that they know that every
mark they make on ticket goes directly
to help the nomination of a man whom
they desire to see nominated.
AS TO PARTY COMMITTEES.
Some politicians desire that the law
should provide for the selection of party
committees at the election, but I have
thought that a bad plan Party organiza-
ton should be left to each party by itself
and the party that can think of the best
plan has the right to the full benefit of
its good Judgment. 1t Us very easy for a
party to provide by rule that when the
presidential caucuses are held the dele
gates can select their committeeman, and
in Minnesota after the primary election
law was passed the Republican party
adopted such a plan and one county COM
mittce was selected. which took the place
of the various judicial, congressional,
county and city committees and it was
found that much better political work
was done with the one central commit
tee than was formerly achieved with the
many committees, and much less money
was necessary to run the one commit
tee. 1t was pronounced great success.
= BAD AMENDMENTS SUGGESTED.
There have been many amendments
proposed to the law, some of them by
men honest in their intention, but others
simply efforts to make the law 1nopera-
tive. L will give them, and then show
the falsity of their intent
]. Provide separate day for each
party to vote. 5b u
Bad for several reasons Under the law
there might be two or there might be.
five parties, because no law can restrict
the number. How could "a law be made.
that would be elastic enough to provide
the proper number of days on which to
hold primary elections? 1t would admit
of bribery, because the, dishonest voters
could be marched to the polls IN droves
at so much per head as under the old
system, because the purchasers would
know what ticket the Voter was going
to vote.
2. Require the voter to take oath as to
what party he afhliateS with, and then
hand him the ticket of that party.
This provision is subject to the last OBJ
lection Of No. l, and the additional one
to vote for the other party with a good
purpose, he would not lie under oath,
while the tough would not care whether
he perjured himself or not, and pre-
MUM would be placed on the dishonest
man, the same as under the old system.
3 Allow a political party to use the
direct primary at Its option.
This is the Pennsylvania plan, and has
never been known to be tried, except in.
Crawford and Lancaster counties OF that
state. 1t is simply subterfuge.
PROPOSES TWO AMENDMENTS.
But there are two amendments, or
rather, enc amendment and one addition,
which l would propose, and which will
neSota. L--i-
First, instead Of having separate bal
lot tor each party, have the ballots made
up exactly under the Day primary law,
and then have them printed side by side
on the same sheet of paper. The only i'm
pfoVement over the other way is that
IN case OF a contest, Which is provided
for in the law, the tickets cast by every
man will still be together, and there can
his ballot.
Second an addition to the law, Which
to my mind is very necessary 1t is only
question of time when all voting will
be done by machine. When that time
comes, and there is. no provision in
the general election machine will he
used, and hence blanket ballot, which
is a splendid thing for primary cleo
tlon, would be used. And it is easy to
see why. 1t would allow little ward aud
precinct schemes for. splitting tickets and
selecting bad candidates for the OPPOSE
uon, When one party was vastly in the
l nronose deTe IS the provision which
sofa law, directly foll6Wing the section
providing for the ballots
II snail be lawful oz.ballot for candi-
dates at primary elections held under This
act by the use of voting machines $50
called and such balloting by voting ma
chlnes shaH conform to- the laws appli-
e az 20 tne use OF sueh voting machines
case shall votingn machine be used
at a primary electior, unless it is so me-
chanlcaliy arranged or geared that it is
Impossible Tor VoterIto vote for any
candidate except thoSeseu one partv tick
ct, the voter to be able to choose that
ticket at the outset by some mechanical
FOURTEEN STATES TO DRAW LAWS.
With these two changes in the law it
oil
could we'll be made The law has stood
the most crucial test imaginable and has
come out victorious. 1t has proved such
a sensation that alreay fourteen states
will have a law drawn upon the same
plan. introduced into their legislatures at
the hrst session and in two of the states
at least bill will be enacted. Wisconsin
and oregon are pledged to such a law.
l have received letters of inquiry re-
garding this new plan from every state
in the Union, Pennsylvania among them;
the matter of crooked politics Pennsyl-
vania easily takes the prize, and more
over her people do not seem to care how
crooked her politics is
The states In which bills are being pre-
pared in line with the Minnesota law
known as the Day plan to distinguish it
from other Minnesota laws which failed
to pass, are: Wisconsin, Oregon, Wash
ington, Indiana. Ohio, New York, Tennes-
see, Missouri, California, Maryland, Kan
sas, kentucky, Montana, Michigan. in
all of these states the men who have
correspondent with me are among the best
men in the various states, and they are
all pushing the idea as strongly as they
possibly can. All will not win but
they will do so in the long run, Just as
did in Minnesota, where it took many
years to finally get the law through.
SAID TO HAVE RIGHT ON IT'S SIDE.
There will be thousands who will scofr at
and offer objections to the plan. 1 am
not afraid to argue with the best men in
the country in politics ION the issue, and