The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-09-06
THE PRIMARY "a LEMON"

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and demands for the laws repeal. TIL,
system has been tried and has beer
found wanting in many respects. The
primay has not, in practical operation
made good the promises of the trainers
who claimed for 1t mighty reform.
One of the prime objections to the
statewide primary system as just tried
out in Nebraska is the burden of ex
pense to the taxpayers. The cost tc
each county will be as much or more
than the cost Of a regular November
election, and the taxpayers must pay
the bill. The taxpayers are usually
willing to pay the cost on public i'm.
provements but If the straw shows
which way the wind blows, there is a
pretty well defined feeling that the
new system has not afforded the re.
form that was assured.
The theory of the primary law was
to take political nomination out of the
control of ring" politicians. The
idea was that in a statewide primary
nomination system, giving every voter
an opportunity to cast his ballot for
whom he might desire there would be
freer expression of the choice Of the
public at large; that political trades
would be laid up in the hospital and
that better men would be nominated
than under the old system of caucus.
But back of it all, the trainers of
this primary law seemed to forget
that the public at large could control
the nominations just as simply and
easily under the caucus system as I'M
der the primary; and perhaps more
so. For under the caucus plan every
voter has perfect right to attend the
preliminary caucuses and to take a
part in naming the delegates who shall
attend larger conventions for the pur-
pose of making nominations. And by
helping to send delegates pledged to
this candidate or that, the public at
large under the old caucus system
was able to control the final nomin-
alton just as effectively, if not more
so, than under this statewide primary.
The experience of Tuesday in Neb-
raska has demonstrated that people
who refuse to turn out at a caucus to
select delegates to a convention, will
likewise refuse to turn out and vote
at primary election. 1t Is hard for
a state to force Indifferent citizens by
legislation to take part in the pri-
mary political affairs of the commun-
ity, If those citizens are not disposed
in the first place to exercise this pri-
vilege.
And So instead of forcing the great
masses of voters who formerly paid
little or no attention to the making of
party tickets, to take hand under the
primary system, Nebraska has appar-
emily been handed lemon which af-
fords no material fundamental change
but which adds very considerably to
the burden of the already heavily bur-
dened taxpayers.
And in many ways, the new system
has worked to the injury of the great
masses of people instead of to their
betterment. Under the new primary
system countys power in helping to
nominate state candidate depends
altogether upon how many of that
county's voters turn out on primary
election day and put their pencil |
marks upon the ballots. Under the
old caucus system a county was en-
titled to certain voting power in the
selection Of candidates, that power
being based upon the number of party
votes that the county could muster at
election time. The new plan, as is
readily seen in the result of Tuesdays
primary, has placed certain portions
Of the commonwealth under the dicta-
torial rule of certain other portions
and has, instead of wiping out ring"
rule, really created a great big voting
machine in the larger cities which can
absolutely crush the rural communities
Of the state so far as their voice In
the nomination of state officers is con-
,erned. For the farming portions of
he state did not Tuesday and will not
l year from now, go to the polls; the
cities flock to the ballot boxes and
hus swing the result Whether by
malicious intent or not, the trainers
If this primary law placed the primary
election day right in the midst of the