Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-05-31
CHANGES FRONT
ON PRIMARY Law,
st. Paul Pioneer Press is Now
Only for Local Applioa-
ton of System.
GIVES STRONG REASONS.
Conventions Must Continue in the
Congressional Districts and
the State at Large.
MAJORITY RULE NOT GIVEN
Provides No Way for Ascertainins
Will of the Party When Several
Candidates are Proposed.
Special DISPATCH to the Sentinel

St. Paul, Mimi. May 19.-Evidence &C
cumulates to prove that sentiment in
Minnesota on the subject of the primary
election problem is changing. The re-
port printed in the Sentinel some time
ago OF the results of a careful canvass
among business and professional men in
st. Paul and Minneapolis, which report
Indicated that the drift of popular senti-
ment in these cities was away from the
proposition to further extend the appli-
cation of the Minnesota primary election
law. has not been disputed. Now comes
the st. Paul Pioneer Press. one of the
papers that most ably championed the
cause of primar.~ electors in Minnesota,
and voluntarily acknowleG ger that it has
modlhed its opinion on the subject.
1t will be remembered that the first
primary election law i'll Minnesota was
passed for the purpose of making a test
of the application of the principle. This
law was made applicable to Hennepin
county only, including the city of Mime
apolis. After one trial in that county
the Legislature extended the law to en-
brace the entire state, and since that
time nominations have been made in
St Paul, Duluth and other cities OF that
class under the law. No general test,
however. has been made throughout the
state. On the contrary, at the special
session of the Legislature held last winter
an amendment was offered and carried
which exempted cities of less than 10000
inhabitants from the operation of the
law. the contention being that the ex-
small cities and political subdivisions
would prove to be an unnecessary bur-
den
For City and County Officers Only
The Pioneer Press now suggests that
state officers, members of Congress and
other officers, whose districts comprise
more than one county shall be nominat-
ed by party conventions, while retaining
the primary election method of making
nominations for municipal and county
officers. 1t recognizes the Reorganization
that would result were parties deprived
of opportunities to hold conventions at
which representatives, duly elected for
that purpose, may meet and promulgate
party platforms, and it also appreciates
the necessity Of maintaining the dele
gate system of making nominations
Where the district to be represented is
made up OF. more than one county.
The opinion of the Pioneer Press.
which appears in the editorial columns
of that paper under the heading, "De-
fects of the Primary Election Law" is
as follows:
Mr.. c. S. Crandall of Owatonna, in
a communication printed in another col
umn. urges what he regards as a very
serious objection to the primary cleo
ton law. This is that it restricts the
choice of voters to those self-appointed
enthusiastically Office seekers-who
are willing to put themselves forward
as candidates and pay the required fee
for filing their certificates. So that the
voters of either party have no choice
eEceDt to vote for one of these office
seeking candidates. This objection seems
to be well taken as far as it goes, and
anpears to be worthy Of consideration in
connection with what seems to the Pho
neer Press far more serious objection.
a.
This is that the primary election law
PROVIDES no way Of aScertaining the will
of the majority of the voters of either
party when a number of candidates for
the nomination present themselves
When the vote of the party is so divided
that neither candidate has a majority,
1t imposes upon the party as it's candi-
date the choice Of a minority, perhaps
of 4 small minority of voters The law
works all right when there are only two
candidates for the nomination Of the
partv-as was the case on the Demo
cratic side of the recent election in this
cItv- Smith was nominated by large
majority over his only opponent, Wagen-
er. so that there was no question that he
was the choice of his party. But there
were five Republican candidates, who d.
videa between them the $685. votes cast
by Republican voters. as follows: Doran
1872: Kiefer. 1897; Warner 1907: Leigh
ton. 1863: Seng. go: Robillard 100. Al
though Doran was thus minority candi-
date he was so far in the lead over the
others that there was no complaint that
he w"s not the choice Gf the majority
of his party. He had SO Per cent. of
the Republican votes, but ne would
probably have been nominated If he had
had only 70 per cent. of the votes. 1t
is very doubtful whether either of the
other candidate for the Republican
nomination would have polled a stronger
vote 1T the election.
s"Fhe one point of superiority possessed
by the convention over the primary sys-
tenn of choosing candidates is that the
nominee of the former must receive the
support of q majority of the delegates.
This is usually, or at least often, arrived
ut by logrolling combinations of the sup
norters of tue candidates for different
Offices. 1t is because the candidates Sc
dents of these trading combinations ra-
tber than the choice of the voters that
the primary election was hailed as
moons OF ascertaining the will of the
party by direct vote. But if the prac-
teal result is to ascertain only the choice
of minority of the party the primary
election law fails to accomplish one of
the chief objects Of it's enactment.
Whether these defects of the law can be
romedied or are minor evils inseparable
from the system, which it would be wise
to tolerate in order to get rid Of greater
ful consideration.
''These are not the only defects of the
primary election law as it stands. some
of which have from time to time been
pointed out in these columns as being
curable by amendment The system is
an experiment, and in the brief first trial
which has been given it It Is no wonder
that it has developed imperfections. The
low now applies only to candidates for
city and county offices and for Congress.
1t was not extended to STAGE offices. The
Pioneer Press was of the opinion when
the measure was before the Legislature
that it should have embraced the candi-
dates for all offices eXcnpt the President
Of the United States. Upon mature con-
sideration, and in the light of such expe-
rience rs has been had, it has corrected
that view. 1t is exceedingly doubtful
whether the primary election system
should be applied to any other than mu-
nicipal and county Offices The CITY or
the county may be regarded as a homo
reneous political unit, analogous to the
New England town meeting. 1t may
therefore, perhaps properly dispense
with the delegate convention and its
people assembled at the polls may get
better results on voting directly for those
they wish to nominate. There Is the
less objection to this because there are
no party issues involved in city or county
elections. even though the contest is car
ried on BY party organizations on party
lines
Need of Conventions.
'sBut q, congressional district is usually
composed of several counties, and the
state embraces more than four scores