Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-12-23

,pect. A good law should not be
wholly condemned because of some
defects that may be removed.
IS. The primary gives the man
with the largest purse an advantage |
over every competitor. It reduces
the contest to one Of personal ad-
vertising and money spending"
A poor but deserving candidate
stands a great deal better chance
under the primary law than in a |
controlled by party bos-
ses. Money is used to advantage
in any kind of political contest,
more's the pity, but no more SO un-
der the primary law than in the
caucus system. Up this way the
accusation that the candidate who
spent the most money always won
out will not hold true. Quite the
contrary.
IS. Into such contest self.re-
speeding men-those possessing the
best qualifications for office-will
not enter. This leaves the field
clear for self-seekers and incap-
ables. 1t is interesting to observe
how many such, whom an intelli-
gent nominating convention would
never dream of naming, have foist-
ed themselves upon the people as
candidates.
All of which means, if it means
anything at all, that the people are
not capable of self-government.
The intelligence of the people as a
whole will average up with that Of
the "intelligent'' convention. 1t
is no harder task to prevail upon a
self-respecting man to file in a pri-
mary than to secure his permission
to present his name at a convention.
81. AS applied to the selection
Of judges, it encourages every
plausible attorney to look for the
honors of the bench. The ''bar at
large" which before the advent of
the direct primary Justly exercised
a great non-partisan influence in
directing the choice of able, schol-
arly jurists, is by the primary rob-
bed of that influence; and judicial
candidates are compelled to wade
in the mire of politics and beg for
a nomination.
In this indictment the primary
law is accused of promoting par.
tisanship, while in other para.
graphs it is denounced for destroy.
ing the parties. If it is desirable
to make the judiciary non-partisan,
this can be accomplished by abolish
ing the party name after the names
on the official ballot of candidates
for this office. Would such a nom.
ination be less partisan if made az
a party convention?
| "8. The practical impossibility
that the average voter should have
any personal acquaintance with can
didates for any but local Offices robs
the boasted choice of the people
at the primary of any substantial
merit"
i Which point is a reiteration il
different form of the charge tina
the people do not know enough tt
select officials but that this shoult
be left to the party bosses. AM
yet the charge is made that the peo
pie know enough about candidate
to select the weakest candidate TO-
the opposition party when the.
cross party lines at the primary
If they know who is the unfit candi
date, they must necessarily know
who are fit candidates.
80. The maintenance of part,
organizations is a necessity of tn
. Democratic idea Of government b,
the majority is to be preserved
The primary destroys party organic
, ations.
A party that exists only for tn
purpose Of controlling the office
and has no distinctive principle ad
hesive enough to keep it togethe
, deserves to be injured. With di
rect nominations and direct legisla
ton parties will be relegated t.
their proper sphere, namely as or
CARNATIONS effected to carry gu
certain principles of government il
the government of the common
wealth or nation. They will thel
be the means to an end in further
{ ing good government, instead of a
Feig would have it, be the govern
ment itself.
Mr.. Feig holds a fat Office,