The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-03-07
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS THE
PRIMARY.

Editor Columbia Herald :-Oftimei
: good men are heard to remark thai
! they will not particiate in the primary
of their party, because they fear that
men may be nominated whom they
cannot conscientiously support, and
they wish to be free to vote in the
. regular election as they feel to be right.
respect the man who occupies this
position. for he is at least conscientious
but / wish to examine carefully
whether non participation in the pri-
mary is the right and proper thing for
man to do, who wishes to cast his
influence for good men, morality, and
temperance.
We have to approach this subject
with all its environments. In this cOun-
| ty and congressional district, nomina-
tion by Democratic primary is about
equivalent to an election-the few ex-
captions only proving the rule. The
minority party in this county and
district has but little responsibility for
| the kind of men who are elected to
Office. If they are bad men it is not
to the disgrace of the Republican
party, but to our own-to you and to
me.
You being member of the domi-
nant party. is not your responsibility
dOubly increased as you select
nominee, that is to be the official for
a whole people, when virtually and
truly the minority party has no voice
in his selection? 1t behooves every
Democrat then, to be very careful how
he throws away his suffrage and his
voice in the selection of the officers of
his country. as he most assuredly does
in abstaining from the primary.
The question as to whether the good
or the bad man is to be your ruler or
officer has to be settled somewhere. |
Do you really believe the good man has |
a better chance in the regular election, |
composed of Democratic and Republic |
can voters than in an election in which |
only Democratic voters participate? |
If the two parties in conjunction cast |
more moral and upright vote than
the Democratic party alone, then that
increased uprightness would have to
come from the Republican party, and
a Democrat believing that, would do
well to change his party affiliations |
wish to bring out another idea by an
illustration.
Let us suppose case. We will say
there are 4, 500 Demoratic voters in
Maury county, and 5000 Republicans.
A Democratic primary is called, and
two men enter the race. One of them
is eminently qualified for the Office he
seeks, and is entirely acceptable to
), 600 of the 1880. The whiskey man
Ind gamblers, we will say, constitute
)r can influence and control the re- .
1000, and because OF their :
bitter hostility to Mr.. A., they take ;
Up" Mr. B. Mr.. B. of course has other )
riends who-though they may admit ;
hat the other man is better qualified
or the piace-will for personal reasons ;,
ote for him. That still leaves Mr. :
L., however, with 500 majority. But y
f these $500. good Democrats and :"
God men-6O0 OF them fail or refuse
D vote ir the primary, and b. is 7
ominated Nominated because the
amblers and whiskey men las they
ways do all voted, and because 900 i
the temperance advocates didn't :.
ote. Now who nominated him-the t.
'hiskey Democrats who voted for him, "
r the temperance Democrats who did
OF vote?
Lets go a step further. In the
eneral election the 1000 Democrats -
no voted for Mr.. b., who is now the
ominee. will vote for him again. OF
lie the 1900 who voted against him.
500 will vote for him. That will
i've him $500. He and his, friends
IN easily buy one thousand of the
epublicans. That will give him
$780, and will leave to his opponent
600 Republicans and the 600 good, &C
mon-pure Democrats who hate III
hiskey 30 they won't vote in Demo- a. a.
ratio primary. By their acts they y y
ave played from first to last, into j.
le hands of the man they wanted to =
sat. ~
The safety of our country lies in ali 81