The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1906-06-15


Government, politics, parties, party
organization, party officials, seem to be
self-evident and natural sequences. No
government can exist without support,
no government is SO perfect that it has
no opposition. Support and opposition
Is the basis of partisanship, II is right
that it should be SO, and without it gov
erument would be failure.
In politics and from politics we have
the individual independent, the clique,
the faction. the party, as figured numer-
cally. Each have equal rights under the
constitution of the United States. For
more than hundred years there was
practically no law that in any way recog-
nized the party, or in any way distin-
gushed it from the independent individ-
ual.
Recognizing the fact of parties and
party organization, their uses and abuses,
their necessity, in later years there have
been many attempts to make laws gov
erningl such organization. These at
tempts have been praiseworthy in theory
but have been failures in effect. Some
thing may be done to assist in regulating,
perhaps something has been done to-
wards it, but no law has yet been made
that distinguishes between the "boss"
and the leader or statesman. There is
no law that can distinguish between a
Democrat and a Reput lican. There is
no law possible that can draw the line
between a "stalWart" and an "insurgent"
In this state at this current primary ele.
ction, Notwithstanding our primary law,
it would have been perfectly legal for
the Democrats, and doubtless to many
of them preferable, to have held their
caucuses and county conventions and
nominated their candidates as they
always have done previously, and then
the committee certified to the auditor
much in the same manner as they have
now done and had the names printed on
ballots as they are now printed. 1t is a
constitutional right for men to assemble
themselves together for peaceable pur-
poses. No primary law can abrogate
this right.
Therefor the Pioneer Express has at
all time opposed the present primarylaw.
We favor any and all laws that will assist
the voter in making an independent
choice at the ballot-box. We claim how
ever that all primary laws that we have
seen as yet, ate wrong in principle.
They all begin at the top instead of at
the foundation. They deal with sym
toms rather than with the disease.
On the other hand we freely acknow.
ledge that there are many evils in the
caucus system, but we see nc thing in the
primary system that helps, but on the
contrary adds complication and attempts
to take away individual and lndependen,
rights in the use of the franchise.
4 X
We also acknowledge that it is far
easier to find fault than to find remedies.
Perhaps in time some great brai, may
solve the problems involved and in
some way make laws that will equally
fit the single individual, a half dozen in
dividuals, a few thousand people or an
aggregation OF millions of voters. He
may also be able to find some way oi
defining what 'afilliation'' with party
nieaus in legal phraseology, and also
find some method to make the apathetic
voter interested in all the public ques-
tons Of the day, and in every Individual
candidate from president 70 poundmaster
but until he does, we shall listen in vain
forth cry Of Eureka and we do moi
lexpect to hear it il the short time we
have yet 10 live.
a little boy once asked his father,
II God could do every thing. The father
lof course said yes Could he make i
two-year old colt in . minute, said the