Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-22
DEFECTS OF THE DIRECT PRIMARY

AuS IepuDlCdn bIdIe COuNeullOu uus
committed the party by the next legisla-
ture to the enactment of a direct pri-
mary election law. Between now and
the next session the various features of
the proposed law will have to be care
fully digested and formulated Ex-
perience In Minnesota and Wisconsin,
as well as that in several of the southern
states, affords valuable suggestions, but
the direct primary system, conducted in
accordance with state law, is too new
to be perfect.
The first direct primary election
conducted under the auspices Of the
regular county and city officers, held
in this county Tuesday, discloses many
serious defects that must be remedied
before the best results obtalnable from
direct nominations can be effected.
When the change from nomination by
convention to nomination by direct vote
of the rank and file of each party was
first suggested some years ago, The Bee
pointed out the prospect of plurality
nominations and the impossibility Of
proper geographical distributions of can
didates, as among the most glaring de-
fects Of the system. The experience in
this county fully sustains that view.
Direct primaries were chiefly designed
to place the voter nearer to the man of
his choice. When every member of a
party has the opportunity to name his
preferred candidate for any office he is
more willing to abide by the decision of
a majority and consequently party
nominations by direct vote should be
considered more binding than those
made at the bargain counter Of a con-
vention.
When a candidate is nominated by
plurality vote only, he frequently repre-
sents but a small fragment of his party,
and, consequently, is not the choice of
the great body of the party any more
than a candidate nominated in con-
vention by bargain and trade. In a
number of states direct primary nomina-
tions require a candidate to receive a
majority of all the votes cast for the
office, and when no candidate receives
majority second primary determines
the result, by dropping all but the two
candidates who have received the high
est number of votes.
This is practically the system that
prevails in the election of members of
Parliament in European countries. Can
didates who fail to receive a majority
at the first election must run the gaunt-
let Of a second election, Candidates
nominated by majorities of their own
party would have a rightful claim to
the support of the whole party. While
such a system would be quite expensive
1t would have a tendency to eliminate q
multiplicity Of candidates who reckon
upon winning out by division, as in ouI
recent primaries.
/ Another defect in the direct primary
system is the looseness Of the law and
its lack of adaptation to prevailing con
ditions. The fact that the county anC
city attorneys were radically at variance
on several important features of the
law in itself proves lack of clearnes'
and proper direction with regard to th'
right Of first voters, who have nevei
been registered, or the right Of new resi-
dents who have never had an opportun
ity to register, or the right of those whC
propose hereafter TO affiliate with an!
particular party to cast vote in ac
cordance with their new afillation.
Another objection and palpably unre
publican and unconstitutional feature 4
the exaction Of entrance fees from ever.
candidate before his name can appea
on the oficial ballot. This provision
will Ge tested in the supreme cour
within the next thirty days and doubt
less will be eliminated.