The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-01-31
SOME VIEWS AT WASHINGTON.

Washington January s7.-(Sidf toHrSpondeheel--in
view Of the opposition the early primary movement ~
Texas and Of the several suggestions in favor OF inc
ton Of the primary system, study Oh 'ne ne" p,
election law Minnesota is of particular interest ne Jaw
in question provides practically for the nomination Oh
dates by popular the primaries The erect OF tuS
Of course do away with the practice OF holding nom
mating conventions to which are sent Delegates seie0 "
primaries
The idea is by new but just at TINS time "
unusually interesting least Texans The Minnesota
legislature tried the plan in single county some iour
years ago The whole thing experiment at that te
but worked well that the last legislature passed Id"
applying the idea to the entire State some omc'as' M
Guiding governor of the State and most OF the members
State ticket exempted from the provisions Oh e
law but municipal officers members OF congress members
of legislature county officers ETC. are nominated by
direct Of the people at primaries Governor La Fo
ee Of Wisconsin has been striving Tor some tune past
been successful 1t is stated in this connection however
that his activity may have had considerable to do in the
way of influencing taken by the Minnesota legs
latire
The scheme may spread but at this time it hardly seems
probable that witver be generally adopted There no
doubt that has its advantages but it also has its detects
The Washington correspondent OF the New York tVening
Post in the subject points out that the plan
would deprive party of the results of strategy and would
each time nominee the representing the gen
era party For example the writer referred
to- Mr. Shepard would hardly have been nominated for
Ali the delicate touches of geographical and balance
TO parv tickets would seemingly be lost The nomination
of candidate above the heads of the party order
reach out after some independent or unattached would
apparently be yer difficult to bring about Perhaps would
he more honest that every party should nominate its
age candidate or the man whom its rank and file most want
ed to vote for II IS maintained in Minnesota that this
does away with much Of the intrigue of machine politics
and so is great reform The spells system is less essential
il is believed where a the neople control nominations than
where few party leaders and mddemen do the business
Iii
the s,yorkcrs but quite mpossble in this way to bride
whole people lust at the present getting things with which
to nav marty workers seems TO be the great study in our
practical notifies The workers all want something, Only
those candidates who arc both rich and unscrpuous can re-
ward marty workers with money: to reward them with offices
,,ol,s the snae e,er, somewhere and that is noverb
alv nsatsfnc and source of loss to the man who has
tho srois 10 disposc of"
The writer in the Evening Post saes-athough he does
not advance any argument in support his statement
that e form of bribery which would be emphasized under
universal anpcation of the Minnesota system IN which
the people directly make the decisions would be the con
troll Of the press The newspapers would take the place of
marty bosses il, virtually working Nm public sentiment and
the politicians seeing this would promptly plan to control
the press"
It is later admitted that "probabl the system Is too new
in Minnesota to have had any practical effect on the control
OF the press but the writer goes on to saw that this
would be one of the natural results Of such MAN seems
clear"
*
this ALLEGED ocarness lies That there are MANY cysn,o
too many to the dscred OF the hig, profession of Jour
nalsn be saidvhcb take brides and which adIc ont
opinions ON one side or the other of every question with
equal readiness can not be denied The editorial columns Of
such papers are for sale to the highest bidder The man
with the most n,oneyud generally the least conscience
gets their "naiencc" B,t inst vby tbe Evening Pee,
corresnondert should assume that fine control If tho ~
by designing politicians would he one of the results of
General adontion Of the urinary, election r1, nov i, ~
in Minnesota is hy no means clear The Fvenirr p4 On
lows the repltatio, of beiog one Of fine hest 4srr 90
pers in the United States If NOT IN. vcr, hest ~ b. ,
II is o,e unlikely that i would accent bil ~ 49,. -;
editorial opinons could he influenced nv, ,,cbt saw, +t -
soninU mower which is bobird ,bo,, Tborn 49,. .l. $50