The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1907-01-12
GOVERNOR CRAWFORD
ASKS INVESTIGATION
CONTINUED from Page Two)

whether such officers shall be selected by
such corpora tons and the state ruled by
them. This is the question.
No amount of sophistry and evasion can
set it aside. 1t is the issue before the
American people today. No reasonable
and fairminded person desires to treat the
corporations unjuStly, nor In spirit OF
prejudice and emagogism. but on the con-
trary, wishes 10 give them square deal
The trouble is not with the corporation in
its righttul place. 1t begins when the
great corporate interests refuse to sub
init to regulation by law; when they seek
to prevent control by unfair means by
granting special favors to public servants
for the purpose of placing them under OBJ
legations which hinder faithful dis
charge of public duty: by going into nomi-
mating conventions and establishing part
nership relations in politics with party
nominees for mutual cooperation, by con-
trolling party organizations by such means
as free transportation dealt out lavishly
to convention delegates and party COM
campaign funds, so that they may claim
immunity from legislative restriction.
These abuses exist. Any man who affirms
otherwise Is either blind or reckless Of the
truth.
The political machine and the public
service corporations are In partnership
everywhere. The purpose Of the primary
election in nominating a ticket is to get
direct expression Of choice OF candidates
from the people.
Under such a law the power OF directly
hands of the voter, who Is allowed to say
by his ballot who should be placed upon
the ticket Of his party AZ its candidate
for congress, and for state, legislative and
county officers; also who should be Sc
lected as the candidate Of his party for
United States senator.
The object is to preserve the right Of
choice in it's purity in the individual voter.
1t gives him a weapon of defense against
the Entertainments Of the machine-cor-
poration alliance.
yyil fn5 hat
tons urged to a state wide primary are
the following: First, that 1t is too ex-
pensive and bars poor men from office;
second, that there Is no limit to the num-
Der of candidates and the person receiv
Ing the highest number OF votes may, not
withstanding, receive only a minority of
the votes cast; third, that voters Of the
opposition party vote at the primary Of
party Of which they are not members and
force weak candidates upon 1t whom they
will afterwards help defeat at the polls;
fourth. that in county politics It results in
punching the candidates in the larger
towns and denies to the CONT" :. faiI
representation upon the tic! <.
AS to the question of expense: There Is
no reason why a candidate standing upon
his own merits should be at any more ex-
pense in securing nomination under
date standing upon his own merits under
the caucus and convention system II
candidate is willing to go into a deal with
and become politically indebted to the cor
troll the convention, he may avoid ex-
pense; but should he refuse to do this
and make his contest with some independ-
ence upon individual merit, he cannot hope
to win before the convention without
making vigorous campaign In every
county and fighting for delegates in every
precinct in the state. This means very
large personal expense. Under a practi-
cal primary law he can be required to pay
to the state or county a comparatively
small fee at the time of filing his nominal
IDD nat md will ant Cd i'm
without further expense, to have his name
printed upon the primary election ballot.
and to have that ballot placed by nom
partisan judge into the hands of every
voter at his party primary in every voting
precinct In the county, district. or state,
rs the case may be, and to have every
vote cast for him honestly counted and
returned, the expenses of delivering the
ballot boxes, receiving the votes, canvass
Ing and making returns, all being paid by
the county and state.
This IN itself saves the candidate a. large
Expense. The primary law should be fol-
lowed by law restricting the expendi-
ture Of money for campaign purposes be-
fore primaries as well as before general
cleo lions, so as to prevent the extravagant
and corrupt use Of money in such cam
Paigns. In this way all reasonable OBJ
jections as to expense can be obviated.
AS to minority nominations and num-
Der of candidates:
Under the provisions Of the primary laws
Of Pennsylvania, oregon and Wisconsin,
before a candidate is entitled to have his
hame printed upon primary election bal
lot, he shall, at least thirty days. Cor some
pther specified period, before the primary
Is held, file with some designated public
pficer nominating petition duly signed
by specified number Of voters OF his par
~, the number being sufficient to show
that he has following large enough to
make him material factor In the con-
test. This provision tends to prevent the
encumbering Of the ticket with the names
Of candidates who have no appreciate
following. A further provision might be
added fixing a fee to be paid by the can
didate TO the county or state at the time
Of filing his nominating papers, to be used
towards paying the expenses of the prim- |
airy, ranging from $50 for candidate for
congress, United States senator and COVER |
nor, down to 81 for county justices of the !
peace, the amount to be governed by the
amount OF salary connected with the Of |
dee. The payment Of such a fee would not
be at all burdensome or unfair to any |
candidate strong enough to be considered, !
and would, to a considerable extent, re- |
heve the county and state Of the expense |
of holding the primary.
Where only two candidates are contest |
Ing for a nomination, the candidate re-
oetving the highest number of votes will, |
Of course. receive a majority and be NOM
mated; where three or more candidates |
are contesting for a nomination the law |
should provide that the candidate receiv- |
ing the highest number Of votes and not |
less than one-third of the total vote cast |
Tor all the candidates, should be the nomi- |
nee. Delegates to a county and state con- |
sention should be selected at the primary |
by direct vote and such conventions should |
be given the power to make party plat |
forms In connection with the candidates |
and committeeman chosen by direct vote |
and the power to make nominations from |
among the candidates whose names were |
submitted to the primary in cases where |
the candidate receiving the highest num- |
Der or votes did not receive 80 per cent. |
Of the total vote cast for all the candi- |
dates.
To require a candidate to receive a ma |
lority OF all the votes cast for all the can
didates would defeat the object OF the |
primary because 1t would enable the ma
chine manipulation to bring out enough |
"favoTite sons as local candidates to pre-
vent a strong candidate before the neonIe i