Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-01-30
THE PRIMARY ELECTION.

ueSlre TO announce my candidacy
is beginning to run in some Of the Iowa
papers now. In counties where there
are primary elections the campaign
that will end next November Is begin
ming already. The people will have
politics for good nine months and a
week or two more for good measure.
They will have politics for breakfast
and often before it. They will have pol
.itics for dinner, politics for supper, be-
tween meals and after the lights are
on. They will hear politics whenever
they leave the home circle, and If the
women take a hand, as is often the
case, politics will be the everlasting
menu of those luckless voters in the
counties where "the primary's the
thing"
The Boone Daily News of Thursday
had the announcements of the candi-
dacy for nominations Of nine republi-
cans, Two of the nine want to be
sheriff, two others would like to be
treasurer, three want to serve Boone
county as prosecuting attorney, while
the remaining two are anxious to be
auditor Each one states that his can
didacy is subject to the action of the
republican primaries, one Of them be-
ing more specific and designating the
primaries Of 1906"
Now, that would be a nice situation
for county like Wapello would it
not? Candidates announcing them
selves in January for an election the
citement that would be the program
all spring, summer and fall There
would be ample time to start a scan
dial about every would-be nominee.
There would be time for every friend
ship that was ever formed to be brok-
en-. There would be time for the mi
nority party to reap rich harvest of
voters from the opposition. There
would be time for death to decimate
the ranks of the nominees and that
would mean, no doubt, another pri-
mary.
Seriously though, such plan would
be bad for many of the counties in
Iowa. Perhaps 1t Is all right in Boone
county, but Wapello county would not
like it.. Here in Wapello county there
is business that takes most of the
time of the people. Ottumwa Is a
busy city and her business men have
not the time to spend nine months out
of every second year in political argu
ments or listening to political talk
They vote at the elections and they at
tend their party primaries and eau
cuses but they choose officials to carry
on the business of the county and bond
those officials to insure attention tc
their work. Meantime they conduct
the business of one of Iowa's most pro
gressive. wide-awake cities, leaving
the work of the county to the men
chosen for that line.
The biennial election amendment
found favor with a majority of the
people of Iowa because it was urged
as a means of doing away with hall
the political agitation and excitement
that must come before every election
Now wouldn't it seem the height Of
foolish inconsistency for Iowa to face
square about and adopt a bill that re
quires statewide primary which
| would result in political agitation
more than doubling one year the agita
ton formerly existing in two?
| If there was some good to be obtain
ed from all this excitement and argu
ment, then there might be some rea
son for favoring primary elections
But what good could come Of it2 Witt
two elections instead of one, and with
a preliminary appearance before the
county auditor to declare ones polit
ical likes and dislikes, how will the
number Of votes cast be increased? Il
1t stands to reason that, the nnLre
trouble is attendant upon voting, the
more people will stay away from the
polls. The adoption of the prtmar.
election law means an increase OF the
trouble by many fold. Then where's
the good Of It?
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