Charlevoix county herald., 1904-10-22
All Has Been Wrong.

It transpires now that the democrat
ic state platform adopted at Grand
Rapids, laying down the law for pri-
mary reform. and all Of the speeches
Of Mr..Ferris, and his supporters ihter-
Weting that law, and the discussion
Of the Scrpps papers simplifying it.
all have been wrong, and that the real
meaning and true method OF primary
reform have been unknown unth now.
According To that platform and those
interpretations and amplitications,
primary reform was method TO secure
the widest Ireest.privilege OF any aspi
rant for Office to present himself for
the SURFACES Of his fellow citizens.
without restraint from any packed
caucus or party boss, and the fullest
and freest privilege OF the citizen to
cast his vote for whatever candidate
he desired, without interference OF any
manipulated convention or corrupt
machine. 1t was so secure direct NOM
ination by the people of such candid
ates as the people might prefer, with
out any artificial restraints or inter
ference whatever.
But 1t now transpires that that Is all
misapprehsnsiOn, and that the whole
instruction of the present campaign
has been wrong. HoE. j. w. Helme
of Adrian, who was the sole democrat
ic member of the state senate four
years ago, defines the primary method
and presents it in an entirely new as
pect, in an article In the Michigan
Patron, which is deemed Of such i'm
portancc that it Is given great promin-
cnce In the Detroit Tribune and In the
Free Press, in advance of its appear
ance in the grange paper. The Trib'
une conceals MIR. Hcleme's connection
with the article and credits 1t TO the
grange: but the Free Press had given
away the fact of authorship the day
| before.
One Of the radical departures in Mr.,
Helme's article from all previous in
struction is great limitation of the
right Of candidates To be voted for, re-
curing that for state candidates there
should first be petitions signed 10y al
least 200 voters from each Of twenty
different counties: and for county can
didates petitions by leo voters from
each of five towns and wards, before
a name could be placed upon the ballo
to be voted for. This amounts to
reversal OF the whole idea as 1t haC
been presented before, and prescribe
limitotions against the common right
to aspire for office and against the free
| dom of choice by the voters, create
than existed under the old system. j
7 is a complete abandonment OF tn
position on which the war against tn
republican party has been waged II
this campaign, confession of doub
and uncertainty and apprehension a
TO the operation Of the primary meth
cd. and a revelation That the ideas
its EXTREMIST advocates are far fror
J being so crystallizedra as to fit them 70
! framicg a law To apply It to the state
The republican position is more 10
: finite. more liberal in submitting I'll
| choice to the unrestricted wish OF IN
voters. more prudent and practical !
proposing its trial IN the counties an
: districts, to discover its merits an
p dement's, aud the conditions OF il
! wisest application, before extending
5 to the state nominations, rather tina
? do this first and then find costly occ;
5 sion for such floundering and specl
: lating and experimenting as we no
= see.