Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1902-05-31
STEELE NOT FOR EXTENSION.
Former Chairman Believes System
Should be Kept Ont 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 good reason, we have repreSen-
tatlVe form of government and 1t is I'M
possible for each citizen to speak directly
III matters of government, and so is
obliged to speak through representatives.
This is the condition through all units
or political divisions. My second objec-
ton is that under the primary system
anybody and everybody can become
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 can
didate he votes as his fancy dictates or
as someone tells him to vote. The polit-
ical 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
terS This fact enables Il 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
outstanding the fact that four-hfths 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 d0mi-
mated by political trades, etc. Under the
primary system there is more opportunity
for fraud and use of money ten times
over than there was under the convention
system. In the first place, a candidate
has to secure control Of the press as an
advertising medium and he has got to
have 1t. Mushroom papers spring up pur-
poSely to be sold to and paid for by can
dldateS All advertising schemes possible
of conception are forced on candidates.
Then there are the smoke SOcials, ward
meetings gotten up by hceIers 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, ana hence poor man cannot af-
ford to be candidate.
Tends to Create Factions.
'In the next place the primary svs-
TEN has tendency to disorganize par
ties, and create tights, factions and trou-
bles III the ranks of the party. There
is no party responsibility Whatever I'M
der its operation, but Il gO-as-y ou-please
matter, so 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 n Republican, and
i'll this way disrupt the party 1t means
two elections and the primary is the
most expensive.
Theoretically it is ideal The ancient
81,
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 divi-
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 | am impressed by the
fact that it is one scheme by which the
newspapers can sell their advertising
space. In my judgment it is Il 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 Il candidacy for Il judicial position,
it oblges a candidate for judge to hob
nob-with men that he may be obliged to
apply the law to.
$50 far as l 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 it's district
judges, and is Il student of the question
free from any political or personal preju-
dice