Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-05-31
STEELE NOT FOR EXTENSION.
Former Chairman Believes System
Should be Kept Out of State Politics.

Judge j. II. Steele, former chairman
| of the Republican state central commit
tee, and in all ways one Of the men
| whose views carry force and conviction,
when asked if he believed that the pri-
| mary law ought to be extended to in
| clude state officers, said:
Il do not think it ought to be applied
| to state officers. In the first place, or to
| give a good reason, we have a represen-
tative form of government and it is inn
possible for each citizen to speak directly
| In matters of government, and so is
obliged to speak through representatives.
| This is the condition through all units
| or political divisions. Ny second objec-
| ton is that under the primary system
anybody and everybody can become a
candidate for office. In the selection
| of candidates there is no concentration
| of thought or action. Not every voter
| knows, nor can he know, the candidates
| for office and when the votes for the cam
| didate he votes as his fancy dictates or
| as someone tells him to vote. The polit-
zeal convention is usually made up Of
men who take an interest in politics in
their respective districts, who know men
and who see candidates and discuss mat
tiers. This fact enables q convention to
make better selections
suppose there are six or more candi-
dates under the primary election for the
same office. Out of this number one of
the candidates receives one or two votes
| more than any other candidate. and, not
wlthstanding the fact that four-fifths of
the vote of his party is cast against him,
he becomes the candidate. 1t cannot be
said he is the choice of his party. even
though he has received the nomination.
More Opportunity for Fraud.
The great objection to the convention
system is that it was liable to be domi-
mated by political trades, etc. Under the
sc
for fraud and use of money ten times
over than there was under the convention
system. In the first place, a candidate
mas to secure control of the press as an
advertising medium and he has got to
nave IL; Mushroom papers spring up pur-
poSely TO be sold to and paid for by cam
dldates. All advertising schemes possible
OF conception are forced on candidates.
linen there are the smoke socials,' ward
meetings. gotten up by heelers to bleed
candidates and where they are invited TO
contribute, and many other features. SO
! that the expense it at least 100 per cent.
greater than it was under the convention
system, and hence poor man cannot af-
ford to be a candidate
Tends to Create Factions.
I'm the next place the primary svs-
TEN has a tendency to disorganize mar
Ces, ana create tights, factions and trou-
pies Ill the ranks of the party. There
IS no party responsibility whatever. I'M
DER It's operation, but a go-as- you-please
nlatIer' 50 that no man can predict the
result. A candidate may have views an
tagonistic to every principle Of the party
and still claim to be a Republican. and
in this way disrupt the party. 1t means
two elections and the primary is the
most expensive.
o.Iheoreti,cally it is ideal. The ancient
Greeks and Romans worked under this
plan and to some extent, under the form
of the initiative and referendum, the
government of Switzerland is based upon
this idea. 1t presented an opportunity
for the people to get together and discuss
and act upon public questions, but in our
case it cannot be done on account Of the
greatness OF our population, the lack Of
compactness as regards political diyi-
sions and the differences in interests.
1t is Vicious Law.
"If we are going to have parties. those
parties must have principles, but under
this system you can't have principles,
There is much that can be logically said
against it, and 1 am impressed by the
fact that it is one scheme by which the
newspapers can sell their advertising
space. In my judgment it is vicious
law and opens the way for agitators and
disturbers. 1t works unfairly to the
decided advantage of the men who are in
Office, and once elected it is almost i'm
possible to get man out. In the mat
ter of candidacy for a judicial position,
it obliges a candidate for judge to hob
mob with men that he may be obliged to
apply the law to.
$50 far as I could judge, the sentiment
in the last Legislature was in favor Of
the repeal of the law"
Perhaps no more disinterested man
could be found in Minnesota to express
an opinion regarding the operation of the
primary law. He has served his city
in the capacity Of one of its district
Judges, and is a student of the question
free from any political or personal preju-