Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-03-11
PRIMARY ELECTION LAWS.

IF a primary election law IS OF
benefit to one county there should
be no objection to enacting such
a law as would apply to all the
counties in the state. 1t is true
the Lockwood law was drafted
that it might be applicable only
to Multnolnah county, for there
existed the most apparent neces
sity for such a law, and from
that county came up the only ex-
preston of popular demand for
such measure.
1t has been adjudged const1tu-
tional, and will be observed IN
holding the primaries in that
county the 10Th inst. The at
tention of all parts of the state
is directed upon Portland. Those
there who are opposed to the po-
1iticsl machine and bossisn re-
gard the law as the agency which
will enable them to smash the
machine and dethrone the boss.
The machine and the boss do not
seem to doubt their ability to
take care of themselves. If both
sides are in dead earnest, and 1t
appears they are, the primary
law will at once be put to the Sc
verest test.
Untram1neled control of its
primaries by the rank and file OF
a party is absolutely necessary if
the body of its voters are to have
a voice in selecting its candidates
for office. Always and every
where this is just what the politl-
cal "toss' does not wish. He
builds up a machine more or less
elaborate which enables him to
nullify the will of the mass OF
voters comprising the party and
deftly substitutes his own. With
the delegates to a convention in
control it is an easy matter TO
dictate nominations. A law,
therefore, which precludes the in
fuence of pernicious bossism and
yet permits honest leadership is
ga consummation devoutly to be
wished" 1t is fitting that the
county in which the methods of
political bossism have become
most intolerable should be per-
mitted an extraordinary provis-
ion by which it may defeat boss
rule.
If the political machine in
Multnomah county were simply
a local institution we might calm
1y observe the contest and find
food for 1nirth. But it is not
local; everybody knows it is not
and never was. Its influence is
not confined to Portland and
Multnomah county, but is felt in
every county in the state. This
is no new thing, nothing strange,
but the most natural and appar-
ent thing in the growth of per
sonal politics. For this reason
other counties are interested spec
tators to the contest in Multno-
NAH. With the best laws that
can be devised no good will fol-
low unless the people watch their
interests and exercise their rights.
1t is the curse of our politics
that multitudes of good, reputa-
BILE and intelligent citizens give
little heed to the selection of men
for office. Under this condition
it is easy for the prefessed politi-
clan, the mere spokesman and
CRATER to gain control and work
his own sweet will. Why find
fault with him? The odium of
bad government and undesirable
men in public Office should fall
upon the reputable citizen who
is too indolent and too careless to
exercise the functions of good
citizenship.
Our own primaries and conven-
tions are at ihand. Let all good
citizens participate in the prima-
ries with the purpose of selecting
delegates to the party conven-
tions who may be safely entrust-
ed with the duty of placing the
best available men in nomination
for the various offices to he filled
at the June election.
can ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure" is no less
true in politics than in hygiene.