Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-01-13

ing people of the state for primary
law and that. If one were adopted for
the whole state the result would be
bad. There could be no halfway eff
feet. Either the primary election
would aid matters in Iowa or 1t would
injure the Institutions of the state.
Careful consideration, in the light of
experience In many elections, fails to
bring to us anything but conviction
that the latter would be the inevitable
result. 1t is hard to understand why,
now that Iowa has just done away
with half of her elections, the number
should be put back at the old figures,
and that too on conditions that would
emphasize the expense, disturbance of
business and other evils, which the
advocates of the biennial elections
amen ment assured us would be elm
mated in the future by the
/ adoption of the amendment All
| the good arguments that were adj
+, vanced in favor Of the biennial cleo
| ton amendment comeanp to oppose
the primary election proposition. The
cost would be a great item, and, II the
! experience Of cities where primary
elections are now held is dependable
/ criterion, the cost of primary is much
4 greater than that of { -ee'llar election.
/ 1t will be rem emberel s..,.I the expon-
ents Of the biennial election amend
ment commended that there is not
! enough interest in elections to bring
out representative vote except when
4 either q governor or president is to
be elected. They cannot, then, deny
that the interest will be great deal
4 less in an election which has for its
aim simply the nomination of candi-
date for offices at the disposal of the
state, county and township.
These facts are cited to show that
the general sentiment over the state is
/ not for primary election law. A ma
1 jority of the voters very recently ex-
pressed themselves as fayoring the BIZ
ennial election plan and evidently
! they believed that elections should be
1 held less often in order that the in
4 terest should be at the proper pitch to
bring out the voters If this was their
! opinion 1t is hard to see how they can
bring themselves to favor primary
4 election law, which would nullify the
good that may have been done along
these lines by the adoption of the BIZ
ennial election law. So the Courier be-
i lieves 1t is reasonable and sensible to
maintain that the majority of the peo-
i pie of Iowa are against the enactment
of primary election law.
i There are other reasons why a pri-
mary election law is not practicable
4 in Iowa Perhaps there may be coun-
! i, y, sr,o coll 20. ny,6
there are, there can be no objection to
their trying the system If a majority
of the voters express themselves as
/ favoring it. But to enact a statewide
4 law and make the holding of primary
elections compulsory in every county
would be an injustice to many people,
:. not the least of whom are the voters
who make up the rank and file" OF
!, the parties.
A Instead of operating against the
ring" in politics, the Courier believes
that the primary election would be a
great aid in perpetuating the rule OF
that institution. While Iowa is not
and never has been cursed with ring
politics, there is always the chance
that gang may obtain control, and
If one should it could easily be accom-
plished by means OF the primary cleo
ton. Why? Because, as every man
! knows who has worked personally
with voters to convince them that il
: is their duty to take time enough from
business or pleasure to cast vote or
y every election day, the task is an ex
tremely hard one and the interest in
many cases is very meagre. Every
party worker has met with many re
buff at the hands of men whom he has
asked to go to the polls and vote
They have replied that they were ''toc
busy" that they didn't care how the
I election went, that they had no per
sonal interest in the matter. It does'ni
take lively imagination to conceive
of the great number who would abso
lutely and Indignantly refuse to vote
at primary election. why, I dom
vote at regular elections sometimes
Why should / care to vote at pr
:, mary? am not particular as to who
is nominated for, Office. They're al
good men, suppose, I'll wait few
; months and vote at the regular cleo
I ton. That will be time enough" There
would be the burden OF the answer tina
would come to the party worker whel
he tried to "get. the vote out" for ,
primary election. The result, it is oh
vious, would be victory for the can
didate who would give the creates
inducerent to the voters to get then
to vote for him. If that wouldn't opel
the way to corruption and ring rule
what could do it?
Not the least of the consideration
that make primary election law un
welcome to men who view it with prac
teal eyes is the fact that with tw,
elections in the same half year
one In August and the othe
in November, business would be dis
. turbed and stagnated for three month
or more, all the time between the tw,
!, elections There is no use denyin,
, that the frequency of elections make
r business bad. That was one of tn
: strongest arguments those in favor o
J the biennial election amendment coul,