The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-05-07
ABOUT POOR MEN.

The article quoted and clipped from
the Homer Guardian Journal is IN line
with the views on the same subject
nomination by primary elections, eluc1-
dated editorially in recent issue OF the
Caucasian. As we said then, and may
reiterate now, the poor man is handy
and a ready grab-on, on which the never
weary and the untlring feeders expect
to hold their cribs at the public feeding,
but the poor man" has been worn into
a superannuated state, into frazzles as
it were, until the poor man, as well
as the horny handed and the honest
toilers" are protesting and decline to
be the footstools of political scfemers
and of men who would reach power by
crawling over their shoulders. The poor
man is no idiot, and if he is good
enough to vote at a general or special
election, when qualified, he should be
equally as good to express his opinion
and his choice at primary election for
the nomination of officials, who are to
exercise authority over him if they get
in The poor man should insist on his
right to decide who is to be his political
boss, and as reasonable sensible man
he should and does object to a lot of
self-constituted bosses to boss him and
pick out his boss. But here is the edit
orial of the Guardian Journal which
should be perused carefully and dellb-
erately:
poor MEN.
Some of the opponents of primaries
are very much concerned about the
poor. If direct, primaries should be
adopted as the method of making non1i-
nations no poor man, we are gravely in
formed, could be candidate for gov
error or for any other State office A
poor man, they say, could not afford the
expense of making a canvass of the
State. Only rich men could afford the
expense of making such canvass of
the State as would be necessary under
the direct primary system
But, under a proper state of public
sentiment, would not the candidates for
governor and other State Offices make
canvass of the State, whatever might be
the method of nominating? Would not
the people demand as rr1,icll7 Can intel
ligent people be expected to support a
candidate for governor and other i'm
portant State offices whom they have
not heard from on the issues Of the day 7
1t seems to us that there can be only
one answer to this question. The people
will want to hear from the candidates
under any method of nominating before
the nominations are made, and they do
hear from them in most of the states.
And, It the people ought to hear from
the candidates before the nominations
are made, the canvass under the pri-
mary method need not be any more ex-
penslve than under the convention sys-
tenn rany other system.
The direct primary method prevails
-
IN Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina
and other Southern States, and we have
not heard that poor men have been
thereby debarred from becoming candi-
dates in those States. There are four
candidates for governor now on the
stump in Mississippi, and certainly they
are not all rich men. Poor men have
made no complaint against primaries il.
any OF the states in which they prevail |
SO far as we have heard.
But how do poor men fare in CON
ve1tions as rule Are not candidates
expected to spend money rather freeIyl
under that method of making ro1l1ina-
tons And are the candidates entitled
TO ali the consideration Are not The
voters fairly and justly entitled to some
consideration? And there can Be no
doubt but that the primary method is
more convenient and less expensive thanl
the conventions system for the gre.t RIA
jorlty OF the voters How MANY poo;
men can afford to attend conventions
and enjoy the luxury Of direct voice inl
selecting party candidates? All can Of
ford to go to the polls and vote under
the direct primary nethod. Z