The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-14
The PRIMARY LAW
Lessons From the Recent Election
as Summarized by Prof. F.
M. Anderson. 1
The System a Long Step in Advance
1T Has Come to
Stay.

The ANIMALS of the American Academy
of Political and Social Science for No
yember will contain an article by Profess
sor F. M. Anderson Of the university
treating Of the recent trial Of the Mime
sofa primary election law. Professor
Anderson gathers his material from. the
official returns and from about $50 news
paper comments. .
The main test of the system, Professor
Anderson says, Is the size Of the vote.
The last vote was 55.7 per cent of that
cast at the general election, which Is
larger than has ever been cast at the
caucuses, but not nearly so large as was
expected by the advocates of the law. He
gives six causes for the small vote. First,
in many instances, members of the mi
nority parties did not vote; second, in
some localities the lack Of sharp local
contests kept many away from the polls;
third. the backwardness Of the season
kept farmers from voting, especially in
the northwestern part of the state; fourth,
the political excitement prevalent at gen
eral elections was absent from the
primaries; fifth, the novelty of the system
retarded the vote in the rural districts,
where voters are slow in taking up with
an experiment.; sixth, many voters re-
fuse to disclose their political affiliations.
Another test Of value, says the writer,
Is whether or not the nominations were
The system did not operate as was eX-
pected, and there is ample proof that
democrats, voted the republican ticket
and vice versa, in nearly all the locali-
ties Of the state. The democrats voted on
republican tickets in the seventy repub-
lican counties, in the remaining twelve
the republicans voted the democratic tick
et This was partly due to the fact that
the minority did not wish to lose their
votes.
The third test Of the system is found in
the class of men that run for office. 1t
was said that the best men would prefer
to offer themselves to the voters rather
than the convention. All classes Of men
offered themselves in the last election
but judging from the comments on all
the candidates by the papers of both
parties, there seems to be an improve
ment in the class of men nominated.
The system also shows that if man
holds an administrative office he has a
good chance Of renomnation
In Minneapolis, says Professor Ander-
son, there was a great improvement in
the aldermanic campaign. Members OF
the legislature who made themselves no
torious by supporting unpopular bills
were defeated also in the primaries when
under the old system they would have
been renominated
A marked effect was also noted on the
HleLHOuS OF campaigning, the same meth
DDS being employed in the primaries as il
the general election. Legitimate cam
paign expenses were also greatly in.
| creased.
The system operates to prevent the
nominating of a we'll balanced ticket il
| that the personal element Individuality
enters too much into the problem. Judg
ing from complaints of political managers
the system tends to lessen party loyalty
and interest, as men are Slow to worl
for a man in the general election whom
| they oppose in the primaries.
The attitude Of the people toward thu
new law is generally favorable. No on,
| is wholly satisfied and no one wishes t,
! see the law abolished. The writer's opin
| ion Is that the law will continue and tina
the necessary evils will be borne until
modification is possible. The creates
fault is its lack of secrecy, and this coult
be easily overcome. Few people seem tt
realize what step pure democracy il
taking with the establishment Of this law
It was with the intention of pointing GU
this feature of the system that the articl,
under consideration was written.