The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-11-07

primary movement, which he declares
sis n of the great movements of
American politics." He proceeds to
show that the intelligent and honest
voters are %entangled in and exasper-
ated with an antiquated system Of
politics which they are sure to over
throw, and speedily, too.
A number of states have adopted
the direct primary system, and it is
worthy of note that wherever it has
been put into operation it has never
been abolished, says the Red Lodge
Picket. For years Montana has been
a rotten borough of politics.; things
that have been controlled, sometimes
clandestinely and at other times
brazenly and openly, by corporations
working through their paid heelers
and attorneys in conventions and in
the state legislature. II w are ever
to escape the great evils of the present
political system it must come through
the operation Of a direct primary law
applied to all legislative, state, county
and municipal nomin atoms. The
coming session Of the legislature of
Montana must pass such a measure
and put it into effect in every county
without any local option foolishness.
Here is Carbon county the political
are abominable, aye, they
are intolerable. It's high time that a
halt be called: the self.constituted
boss, VIGOROUSLY a corporation heller
for financial profit, must be made to
quit his monkey work. There is an
awakening OF the public conscience
all along the line. Read what Mr..
White has to say or this subject:
One of our chief troubles in politics
tody is that the intelligently honest
voter is tied up and tangled and ex.
asperated with an antiquated system
of politics. 1t was made for a day
when the people as q mass were not
quite ready for direct participation
in the affairs of the government. In
those days we called Jul government
a government of the people, but it was
in fact a government Of the politicians
for the people. Hence the convention
system in our politics. And from that
has grown the caste Of politics, that
has its foundation in the county and
county town, aud extends through the
judicial and congressional districts to
the state and to the nation. Under the
convention system the people find il
difficult to express themselves. They
fluid it difficult to get results. In the
sixties and seventies the convention
system was probably the best system
For pa%rtizauship and patriotism had
been sadly confused by the civil wal
aud its issues. If the population
could have voted directly for its party
candidates, the old soldier would have
been named for sheriff from one enc
of the land to the other without any
regard to the issues. But now the
American schools are turning Out
millions who Il read, and America al
civilization has shortened the hours Q,
labor for those millions, and has pu'
attractive, well.made, well.written,
and honestly edited periodicals into
the hands of those reading millions a
a price SO small that every one is
reader, and the people are demandin!
a change in their system Of politics
This fall the movement for direct pri
! maries is engaging the people in tn
whole Mississippi valley with varying
activity in the several states. 1t i
one Of the greatest movements G
American politics. The stupid pol
{ ticians and the forces Of %corruptio
are fighting against the direct pri
mary. But it Is coming, and when
D is established it will take the Amer;
+ can people one step-and that a Ion
! step-nearer to the real governmer
OF the people by the people. that tn
I naonla may mot nariSh from rho eartf