Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1905-03-23
The Primary Election Law.
r. q. COPELAND, EDITOR.


his views of the primary election law az
it has been passed. Mr.. Hunt expresses
the sentiments of thousands of other
republicans who oppose
machine rule. This what, he says:
To The Forum: It is with feelings of
regret, humility, and, finally indiena-
ton that have read the editorial Of
The Forum Monday evening indorsine
the action of the state legislature ia
passing the so.ealled mckenzie sub.
stitute" for real primary election reform
That newspaper with the wide circu-
lation of The Forum. with it's good
character and influence at stake, should
be 80 reckless with this character and
influence as to indorse such a piece Of
perfdy and hypocrisy as is embodied in
the 'substitute" enacted into law at
Bismarck last week is indeed beyond
my prehension. ,s's@
My indignation il all. the more
aroused, and my shame at the states
disgrace Is all the more humiliating
when I remember that the perfdy
enacted at Bismarck wac committed at
q time when the nation was celebrating
the anniversary of the birth of Abra.
ham Lincoln, and the country, from one
end to the other. was ringing with the
sentiment of this great patriots immor.
tal nnoooh a. Ho<kvohr.~
The Forum knows only too we'll that
the government of North Dakota is not
. government "of the people,, by
the people, and for the people," and
never has been such. On the contrary
it is government of and by and for a
political machine. ~.
The convention system is no longer
an instrument for giving expression
to the will of the people. Everywhere
In all states. it has fallen into disrepute:
and in those states where one or the
other OF the great political parties are
overwhelming IN majority the con-
vention system has become q positive
menance to fee government. Here in
North Dakota nine.tenths of the senti-
ment in favor of primary election
reform proceeds from the belief that
the state conventions are controlled by
a political machine, and that machine
dominated by one man. It is both silly
and Intellectual to indulge in denunoia-
ton of either the machine or the man
that controls it. If not these, others
would control under the convention
method of selecting state officials.
That servant obeys the master who
can bounce him, has been said of those
to serve in private capacity.
It is even more true Of the public SER
want. What the primary bill intro.
duced into the legislature by the real
friends of primary election reform, and
which passed senate aimed at, was
to make these public servants directly
to the people-make them to
feel that their positions we're positions
OF trust. which come directly from the
people and that the people could recall
that trust at any election. Under it's
operation some principle pertaining to
good government would be before the !
people at the time of the primary, and
would be chosen in accord.
ance with the wishes of the majority.
Some of US. no doubt, would not get
what We wanted, but in any event the
majority would rule.
The Forum editorial speaks of this
senate bill as one which was framed by
democrats, and which gave that party
an advantage. and further says that its
effect would be disastrous to the repub-
Leans. But The Forum makes no
attempt to point out such defect. The
natural influence one would draw from
The Forums criticism is that in fair
fight where the people had an oppor.
tunity for fair expression the republi-
cans Of the state might find themselves
in a minority. The Forum falls into an
error by confusing the republicans of
the state with the machine which die.
tates party action at the present time.
The senate bill was intended to DESTROY
this machine. and give republican
voters voice in the action of their
party. That their machine element
saw this is plain from their action in
killing it off.
The Forum also intimates that this
senate bill may have been unconstitu.
tional. Was not the constitution Of
our state enacted as organic law with
the express object of giving us a govern.
ment of and by the people? Is not
such fundamental principle of all con.
stitutional government. It was with a
view of correcting defect in our cleo.
ton machinery, 80 that this fundamen-
tai principle of government might
become operative III our state that this
senate bill was introduced by the
friends of primary election reform.
But does The Forum really believe that
if this senate bill was unconstitutional