The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-03-04
Primary Reform.
Free Press + dilorial. February "A.

Free PreSS ultorlal, FEBRUARY ii.
The primary reform cause has much
less to fear from its enemies than from
its fool friends. Their preposterous
claims in behalf of the system of direc-
nomination, and their incorporate at
lacks upon everybody who admits a
preference for the convention areSnot
likely to inspire confidence in the thous-
ands of citizens who have not yet reach
ed a decision as to the merit of the plan.
One of these crazy mems newspapers
asserted yesterday that most of the OPP
position to primary election reform is
wholly corrupt and mercenary. AS a
matter of fact, most of the opposition
to direct nominations is decently honest
and ordinarily disinterested. The op-
ponents of the proposed change from a
representative to democrat method
of nominating candidates represent the
conservative element in the population,
who are sincere in their belief that the
convention affords the best means of or
dering affairs of great political party
Not less absurd than the attacks on
the character of all opponents of the di-
rect nomination are the preposterous
claims advanced in behalf of the system.
Politics will never be purified by the
direct nomination of candidates. We
of Detroit have the best of reasons for
knowing this, because we have been
nominating candidates for aldermen by
that method for more than a decade,
and the common council would never
be mistaken for church synod. Just
as bad men and just as picturesque dem
agogues have been elected to the coun-
Gil since the candidates were nominated
by the voters of the ward as the city
hall ever knew when the aldermen were
nominated by conventions.
the corruption that has so shamefully
manifested itself in connection with re-
cent state campaigns has appeared not
in the conventions, but in the primaries.
In the campaign of 1900 it was not the
state convention which was purchas d,
but the primaries at which delegates
were elected to the county conventions.
If these primaries can be debauched un-
der the convention system, they can be
debauched under the system of direct
nominations
But the direct nomination has its
merits for all that. 1t would weaken
the influence of the party organization
and diminish the possibility of machine
domination. The people could express
themselves directly in the choice of
candidates. for Office. and the state
ticket would not be the result of jul
dicious manipulation as the case now is.
The best man might not always be
nominated, but taking everything into
chance of his nomination, if the people
could decide for themselves who was the
best man. Unless all the candidates
had been long and conspicuo usly before
the people this would not always be SO
easy Of determination. and in many
cases the impression would be general
that the best man was the man that had
spent the most money in personal adver.
Using. For all that the experiment is
worth making If it is unsatisfactory,
we can easily return to the nominating
convention. If it is satisfactory, we
shall have gained something in weaken
ing the strength of the organization and
transferring the nominating power tc
the voters themselves.