The independent., 1907-02-14


attended in 1900, SIS per cent in 1902.
an off-year and SO per cent in 1904.
In Hennepn county Minnesota, in
1904, over 81 per cent of the voters
took part in making congressional
nominations. In the same year the
returns from eighteen counties,
scattered indiscriminately throughout
minnesota tail the returns that could
be obtained) showed that over 72 per
cent of the voters took part in the
primaries. These figures show most
conclusively that the difficulty is not
the apathy of the people. Their civic
patriotism is as strong as it has ever
been in years past They are inter-
ested in the government and will at
tend the primaries, IL they are but
given the opportunity to directly nom
mate their party candidates. The
difficulty lies with the caucus system.
1t is indirect and Inefficient
Now let us see If there are any rea-
sons why better men should be nom
mated under the direct primary than
under the caucus and convention sys-
TEN.
In the first place it must be conceded
that the majority of the people are hon.
est and that they want good government
and honest officials. Under the direct pri-
mary they can make this desire felt more
effectively. They can exercise two vetOes
upon any attempt to folst bad candidates
upon the public, once at the primary, and
again at the election. But under the
caucus system they have no choice ct
the caucuses, while upon election 1t is
usually a choice between two evils, be-
tween two machine made candidates, and
this is one reason why there is such an
appallingly large stay at home vote upon
election day
In the second place who is 1T that SO
Most assuredIy it Is not the people! 1t
is the same class of men that twenty
years ago fought the introduction Of the
Australian ballot! The st. Paul Pioneer
Press of March H. 1904, said: THE ma
chine men have never liked the primary.
They fought it from the start and they
continue to sneer at it," The Arena of
August, 1904, also said: TT is needless to
lists, all indeed who have been engaged
in debauehing the peoples SERVANTS are
bitterly hostile to the primary" Why is
it that the politicians have suddenly be-
the public claiming, as they do, that the
introduction of the direct primary would
be detrimental to the best interests Of
the people? Why Is it that they fight it
so strenuously? 1t is because they real
ize that they cannot tontrol the 70 or 30
| per cent Of the voters who turn out to the
primaries as they dictate to the 20 per
| cent who attend the caucuses. They real
|
! the political arena would be gone, that
| they could not prevent the candidacy OF
| good men. The direct primary introduces
| tho principle Of free. open competition.
| where before all was secrecy scheming
and log rolling. 1t enables any man to
! become a candidate without currying
favor with the boss and the ring by
| methods which trench upon his self re-
| spect." The natural result is that better
men come out for the nomination under
| the direct primary than under the caucus
| system. Speaking of the last primary
| held in st. Paul, the Pioneer Press of that
| city said: Instead of a horde of office
! seekers. bound to this or that faction,
| and foisted upon the public to feed at
! the public crib and to play into the hands
| of small coterie of republicans, the
| primary law stimulated a search for good
| candidates all over the city, and the re-
| suit was primary ticket composed large
/ ly of men whom the office had caught,
| unpledged and indebted to no one. The
| result is the strongest ticket that the
| republican party has had for years,
| ticket Of strong campaigners, and of men
| who are entitled to the confidence of the
ever did so well have it. No convention
ever did so Well except when stimulated
| by popular impatience and that was once
in a decade" Hundreds of other local
tiles. where the direct primary has been
! tried, could testify to the same effect
i The mere fact that those cities and states
which have adopted this system have
never thought Of abandoning it, and that
its popularity is ever on the increase,
is sufficient evidence that it does result
in better men being nominated for public
office
The caucus system presents no remedy
| for the evils of today. No matter how
highly legalized. II will still remain com
plex. indirect and uncertain. In actual
practice 1t represents but a small portion
of the people IL places the power OF
nomination in the hands Of the few, the
boss and the ring. 1t is subversive OF
| the principles of representative govern
ment. From all over the country comes
the cry of the American people for de-
liverance They demand that the control
of the government he placed in their
| hands. and that they be given the power
| to directly nominate all party candidates
/ Arrayed against them In this struggle
for better governments and purity in poll
ties are the eorruptiug elements OF our
social and industrial world What greater
tribute can be paid to the efficiency OF
the direct primary to destroy machine
I domination and corruption than this Bit
l ter antar9nism af the boss and the ringg