The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-01-30

a wonderful discovery Roy discovered
that Galusha A Grow and Dennis Flynn
the putative fathers OF free homes, had
nothing 10 do with the fraternity or that
question, but that it was sired by Ten
Resseean known as Old Hickory Jackson,
over year ago
Edgar. after safely delivering himself
Of his Congressional boom, discovered
that all Of the congressional nominations
. from the first to the ffits= seventh con-
gress have been Irregular and undemo-
cratic. He SAYS in his letter TO the ter
ritorial Democratic committee, that
while at Sunday schcel, wrestling with
the knotty question of infant damuation,
he bethought himself Of q plan OF Demo-
cratic SalvafioI Tor Oklahoma, providing
the party could be induced 10 make the
proper selection OF 4 political Moses. or
Mesiah, this fail. Edgar says that his
plan is not only new, useful and novel.
but that it is unique and original, and
that he viii take out letters of patent on
il as soon as he hears from the Demo-
cratic territorial committee. He says
that if his plan Is adopted IL Will put
new song in the mouth Of democracy
and Q new soul in the Populist and re-
form forces Of the territory and make
the professional politicians. Ike Col
Hoffman. Col. Johnson, Col. Forrest,
Drummer" Cross, Pat Nagle and Bob
Ray look like thirty cents.
The Democrat is in hearty accord with
the primary election plan OF selecting
candidates for all public offices from
president TO constable. II has been an
advocate of the plan for more than
dozen years and succeeded in inducing
the Canadian county Democracy to adopt
it at the last election. 1t was an expert
ment with them and whilst II has many
good points it was only fairly satisfac-
tory. The objection TO il is that there
is no law authorizing it or protecting the
system against Illegal voting, and the
thousand and one frauds that can be per-
petrated with iInpunity in the absence
of such law.
In this council district three townships
in Oklahoma county held no primary
election, though they were requested TO
DO so and were provided with tickets and
poll books. Yet they had no representa-
ton in the selection OF candidates The
same would be true of a primary election
held to select delegate to congress \
county without a candidate would take
no interest in it and would therefore have
no voice in the nomination Of a candidate
While on the other hand the most serious
objection to the plan in the absence of a
law defining the qualifications of a voter,
and prescribing a penalty for illegal vot-
ing is that every renegade Republican
in the land would be advised TO take
part in the primary and to vote for such
candidates as would have the least
chance of election al the general cleo
tiOn.
The Democrat is a pioneer in the ad-
vocacy of the system, but after seeing a
practical demonstration of its claims in
Oklahoma politics is forced 70 admit that
II is cumbersome, expensive and IN
satisfactory method. and more given to
fraud than the old delegate convention
plan.
1t could be made, however, an admir-
able system but it must be preceded by
suitable legislation.
Edgar should have given the last legis-
lature the benefit of his discovery, in
stead OF the Democratic territorial COM
mittee. He is appealing to the wrong
forum.