The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1906-05-17

Many times have been defeated against whom
there no known opposition and unheard Of given
their places for important Offices The crime much
against the candidate against the people who had right
to voice in naming his successor.
The convention arrives and Of the first steps is to
limit all nominating speeches to two minutes, thereby
shutting off all presentation of facts, all discussion of
principles of candidates by the convention and the
vention resolved into ratification meeting slate pre-
pared perhaps months prior to it's assembling by this cotere
political bosses and adventures in the Merchants Hotel
St. Paul. the Great Northern headquarters that city
Now, this system has prevailed for many years that
the people rebeled and in 1902 many legislative
tons instructed their nominees to support primary election
law, whereby the people might directly for the nomi
nation of their candidates. but this gang prevented the
actment Of such They knew would be the
end of their aton to the voters of the State they
it would that the people to rule they knew the
people did not approve of them or of their methods.
In 1904 large majority OF the legislators again
INSTRUCTED to support primary election law in the Legs
the Senate with little opposition The representatives of
the transportation companies and monopoles strong in
the Senate and did not want to record opposing
such It went to the House. majority Of the
agreed support pressure of
various kinds was brought to bear sufficient number to
defeat it, One member from district in which is
greatly interested in it's welfare It needs buildings
and must have appropriation for their construction and
for it's maintenance He is threatened with any such ap
preparation being cut off he does not he is told by
these dctatos and he surrenders He feels that he must
Other members have other instructions and meet with the
command Others still have in which their
constituents deeply interested which threatened with
defeat and the majority dwndled Mr.. Mckenzie
deeply interested in the defeat of the measure that he
spent most of the winter in Bismarck and is said
to the capitol for the first time in many years during
session Of the legislature.
These people prepared a law called primary election
law whose passage they demanded but it in
the demanded by the voters which their repre-
senatives have been instructed to support There had
been great outcry against the methods pursued in the
nomination of county officials members of the Legislature
The county legislative district is but small part of the
state People generally familiar with the records of the
candidates. and they make mistake in convention
it be remedied in the next. Demand had been for
comprehensive law covering all State and Congressional
Offices We got law covering the offices that the people
did think of and emitting those that they had sought
to have included-a law which is made cumbersome
any law which could be suggested law which made
expensive in it's execution any law including all the
Offices. If you do not think it cumbersome study the
method devised for the election of delegates to the state
convention and tell me how you going to know what
candidate for the position Of delegate stands for or
represents All the election machinery is provided and the
election is held at just great expense would have
been incurred to nominate all state officials.
But than all this, the law is vicious and
American in principle 1t provides for secret ballot in
the state convention Each delegate goes to that
ton in representative capacity and his constituents
entitled to know how he votes the nomination of every
candidate The Constitution gives them the right to know
how legislator votes the passage of
The delegate does represent himself but he represents
the people who elected him and the voters OF the state
With secret ballot he may be elected pledge to do
thing and yet have done exactly the opposite repeat
it is unRepublican unDemocratic misrepresentation and
American.
1t everywhere conceded that the elimination of the
Judiciary from ward and precinct politics is desirable but
gang has for years sought to control the judiciary of
State and not the least important and vicious principle
involved in the socalled primary law is the method
vided for nominating District Judges The delegates to
the State Convention from each Judicial District
qxred assemble at another time and place and nominate
their candidate for Judge requires explanation to
show that this copels every candidate for place the
District bench to the scramble for delegates to
the State convention convention in which he has
direct interests outside of his interests citizen of the
State
i It requires explanation to show that whatever
set of control the State convention control the