Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13
PREPARING A PRIMARY LAW. :


With both parties committed to the
policy of promoting primary law, II
Is probable that one will be enacted
at this session of the legislature. IL
is dependent, however, upon the apll-
ity Of the promoters of one particular
plan 10 secure the necessary majority
to assure passage. Those who assume
to be in touch with the situation say
that there will be no trouble in pass
ing a delegate primary law; that the
strife Will come If an effort Is MADE 10
put through a direct primary system.
1t is common practice OF leglsla-
tors when proceeding along some new
line to study the conditions in other
states where the proposed law is In
operation, or where some other system
has been tried. To learn of the prl-
mary system one may turn to Mime
sofa en- the north or to Illinois on the
cast. Minnesota was the first state
Of the middle west to adopt the prl-
mary system, and it has been operating
under direct primary law for several
years. Among the papers that urged
It's passage was the Minneapolis Jour-
nal, an independent newspaper. II
now advocates it's modification or re-
peal On the subject it says:
"The other faults in the system,
however, are Inherent in a direct prl-
mary, and it is hard to see how they
can be avoided. The theory of the
law. the rosy theory whose praises
have been sounded far and wide, Is
that it places the power in the hands
of the people themselves.
"Opservers of politics are beginning
hot e q
humor. The power is certainly there,
but there are so many ways to fool the
people and make them think they
want something. that a genuine ex-
preston of sentiment is seldom Sc
cured. The victory is too often to
the longest purse. In large constit-
uency where the candidate is known
personally to a small per cent of the
people, tho biggest advertiser and the
man who hires the most workers has
all the advantage. A man Of small
means is practically prohibited from
running. The primary becomes sort
Of free for all election in which money
spent like water Instead OF cor
rupting delegates, the man with the
barrel reaches out farther to corrupt
the whole body polite. AS a means
toward lu0 0lu vi puiS potAsASs'. -
primary cannot be termed shining
succ ass"
lit should be borne in mind that the
above is not from newspaper plead
ing its own justification, but from one
admitting that what it advocated is
failure.
Illinois has enacted two primary
laws. The first one operated very sat
lsfactorily, but it was declared uncon
stitutional The second was framed
very much along the same line as fa1
as the direct and the delegate voting
was concerned, with the elimination OF
the features pointed out by the cour'
as illegal. and it too has been fairly
widely endorsed since its first trial.
This law provides for a direct vote
on all county candidates and also fol
delegates to convention. II candi
date receives majority at this cleo
ton his candidacy is not thrown into
the convention If no candidate re
ceives a majority the nominating pow
err goes into the convention. The sen
atorial congressional and state nomin
ations are all made in conventions. Al
parties hold their primaries and theil
conventions on the same day, Whlcf
is fixed by law.
The principal objection to this law Is
one that is urged against primary laws
IN general, that the man who lives II
the city has the advantage as does alst
the man who has money to spend II
advertising himself throughout the
tarritory in which he is a candidate.