Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-02-08
PRINCIPLE AND DETAIL.

march 3. 1879
PRINCIPLE AND DETAIL.
The Council Bluffs Nonpareil de-
votes nearly two columns in a recent
Issue to discussion of the primary
election bill and the principle its
authors intended to carry out when
they wrote it. Were not the subject
q very serious and important one to
the people of Iowa, the Nonparei1s
opening statement would be laugha-
Bile In view Of the facts. 1t follows:
Whether from lack of apprecia-
ton OF the real nature of the subject,
or from q disposition deliberately to
embarrass the move, some men and
newspapers throughout the state are
pursuing course that tends to OBJ
scure the principle that is involved in
the proposed primary law by a discus
sion of details. Details there must
be and a lot of them, but for the
most part they are mere matter of
intelligent and careful planning to
work out a method Of procedure that
is practicable. Outside of few
points that affect, or modify, the prin-
ciple itself, there is nothing about the
details Of a primary law to require
popular discussion.
Now what could be more abso-
lutely foolish than to adopt as law
q bill like the Crossley primary cleo
ton measure without first consider
ing 1t in detail? Anyone who has at
tempted to read it knows that 1t Is as
long as the moral law and as full Of
Diet lis as an Iowa year is Of weather
changes. 1t is proposed by the
friends of the primary idea to make
this bill a law, details and all, and If
that is done there will be as many
details in the law as there are in the
bill. Then why not consider those
details first? Why wait until they
are law. when we may find many that
are wrong and unsatisfactory. Be-
fore the vote is taken is the time to
Investigate this matter, not afterward
The Nonpereil is confident that the
Crossley bill is practicable. There
are others, and the Courier is among
them. who believe that it is not prac-
ticable. And we believe that now,
while there is time to convince others
Of the fact is the time to discuss the
proposition in detail, to pick out the
impracticable points and consider
them. Should the people sit idly by
y
taking enough interest in it to con-
excuse when the law proved unsatis-
factory. Their position would be no
better than that Of the school boy
beaten in knife trade, "side-on-a-
seam" as knickerbocker day lingo
has 1t.
The Nonpareil is sure, apparently,
that the principle Of the primary cleo
ton bill is right, and that therefore
the bill itself must be right. If we
are not in error, the principle at
which the bill is supposed to aim is to
give every voter an equal voice with
every other voter in naming candi-
dates. But the details of the law at
ford so many complaints that in their
ramifcations one loses sight of the
principle. For instance, the bill opens
a way for the machine politician to
work to an advantage that is now alb
solutely impossible for. him. The bill
provides that before man can get
his name before the republicans of
the state for state office he must
. have q petition, announcing his can
didacy for the nomination, signed by
something like 5000 voters scattered
over at least fifteen Of the ninety-nine
counties Of Iowa. Each of these
5000 signatures must be youched for
by sworn witness, even to the date
of the signing of the petition. The
prospective candidate would have a
4 hard time getting all these names on
his petition without help, and the bill
prevents him from hiring anyone to
aid him in this or any other similar
work. What would be more natural,
!. then than the formation of clique or
machine by several candidates, and
Mwhat would be more of play into the
yhands of the large corporations such
as the railroads? With their thou
sands Of employees, scattered along the
] different railway lines in many coun-
9ties, the railroad officials, should they
= desire, could fill petition In short
time, as required by the proposed law,
and could present the names of their
favorite candidates to the party pri-
maries, fully certified. Meanwhile, a
poor but honest aspirant for a state
Office, one who would not do the will
of the railroads If elected, would be
plodding along as best he could, try
ing to fill his petition but with poor
success. Where would be the pretty
principle which the Nonpareil thinks
Is so practicable? And this is simply
one Of the details of the Crossley bill
It would make splendid law-for
! the corporations, If they chose to use
It to further their own ends. And If
1t becomes law every one who votes
for 1t will be playing directly into the
hands Of these same corporations and
/ into the hands Of the machines, push
ing farther and farther away from the
Individual voter and from the poor
man the right and privilege to vote
and be repres lnted as he desires
- - 80 II
A BILLION DOLLARS,
That great minds do not always run