Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1907-01-05

Senator Hepburn Opposes Primary.
Senator Hepburn has come out in an
interview in which he vigorously assails
the movement for direct primary. He
favors primary election, but makes a
distinction between primary election
and the proposed "direet primary" He
declares that the proposed 'direct pri-
mary" law is menace to government
based upon political principles repre-
scented by the republican party. The
senator's reasons for his decided stand
on this important question are given as
follows:
1.-THE proposal to establish the direct
primary at the coming session of the
legislature of Idaho is menace to the
republican party and its Organization
and should be defeated. 1t originated
in mongrel politics united to oppose and
defeat the republican party at any cost
or sacrifice of political principles, and is
an attempt to substitute individual am
bition and enjoyment of Office for prin-
ciples of government. The democratic
platform declares for it. The candidates
under the direct primary system are
bound by no party, and no party stands
sponsor for them. In the absence of
the convention or the coming together
of the people of one political faith, there
is no opportunity to express the prin-
ciples by which the candidates are to be
governed, and the candidate who, after
the election, adopts methods or princi-
pies utterly inconsistent with the party
he is presumed to represent, cannot be
called to account on the ground that he
has violated the faith of the people or
the principles of the party.
81 have been surprised to find good
republicans advocating the principles of
direct primary on the specious
grounds that it was getting nearer to
the people. This is the sophistry with
which the republican party should be-
fore this have grown familiar, as the
means by which its enemies have sought
to fool the people for a long time.
THE republican party stands for well
defined principles of government that
have been proved successful and have
secured happiness and prosperity to the
people. It's opponents represent greed
for Office wherein the Office and the in
dividual are one and the same thing,
purely selfish in aim. We do not want
democrats, populists, socialists and the
various political organizations of ex-
pediency to assist in the selection of
those who are to represent the princi-
pies Of the republican party. Under
the direct primary system it would be
entirely impossible and highly probable
that the opposition to the republican
party would unite with small minority
of that party for the purpose of defeat
ing the will of the majority of the party,
and thereby nominate at the primaries
men who would in no manner represent
the principles of the republican party.
And furthermore, as has been done in
more than one instance where the direct
primary is in vogue, candidate know
ing IndL ne cOulu not receive HldJOIlly
of the votes of his party at the direct
primary, through his friends, secured
division of the opposition to himself
so that by placing number of candi-
dates in the field against himself an6
dividing the opposition has been elected
at direct primary although receiving
less than Is per cent of the votes. The
direct primary system is enticing or
its face; it sounds we'll as an abstract
proposition, but upon analysis it is
readily stripped of its seeming fairness
and alleged patriotism, and stands forth
as the framework upon which to con-
struct an infinite variety of corrupt
practices to defeat the will of the people
and substitute individual office craft fol
sound principles of government.
1.-The arguments of those who are ad-
vocating it are based upon misconcep-
ton both as to existing conditions ant
as to conditions that would exist upor
its adoption. Many excellent people
are misled into supporting the direct
primary law under the impression that