The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1908-09-18
THE NEBRASKA PRIMARY.

THE NEBRASKA PRIMARY.
Among other things apparent from
Nebraska's second test Of the new
primary law is the fact that II your
name begins with A you are pretty
well qualified to hold public office.
The blind voting that is done for the
first name on the list, where the can
didates are unknown, is hardly to the
credit of the state of Nebraska. The
the top of the ticket should be equal
lied by some not too complicated plan
of rotation. Perhaps some plan put
ting one mans name at the top of the
ticket in one county, the next mans
name at the top in another county, and
so on, might solve the problem. A plan
to rotate the names in any given
county would so complicate the bal
lot printing as to run the risk of seri-
Gus errors, to say nothing of the fact
that it would add considerably to the
expense, where plan to put one name
the next county, and so on, would
probably accomplish the same desired
end without costing the taxpayers any
more money for printing.
Where a vigorous contest is ragged
at the primary the voters select their
candidates with full knowledge and
deliberation, but where there has been
but slight contest, the man whose
name begins with the letter A has a
decided unfair advantage, and upon
this sole alphabetical discrimination
many candidates based their only hope
of ever getting into the political lime
light.
One of the results of the primary
which many people consider a serious
defect is the fact that party lines are
,,5adly shattered. With those who
deem party organizations of little val
lie to the body polite, this perhaps,
will not appeal as a serious fault, but
The News firmly believes the well
fare of this republic depends upon the
existence of two opposing political
parties, each anxious to point out
wrong doings of the other, and for
this reason this newspaper regrets
that any condition should be able to
make men forget their party affilia-
tions. Perhaps the legislature may
be able to devise a more rigid primary
qualification, holding voters more
strictly to the act of making a choice
of candidates within their own parties
and preventing them from overstep-
ping into the opposing party for the
moment to assist a favorite or to vote
against a man whose nomination
might be for the best interests of his
own party.
1t is rather to be regretted that a
Democratic newspaper should attempt
to influence the nominations in the
Republican party, or a Republican pa
per attempt to influence the Demo
cratic party's nominations, and with
some effect. Perhaps a few years Of
practice, however, will discredit a pa
per in its attempt to mix with the af-
fairs of the opposing party, and thus
discount this sort of work.
The date of the primary should be
so changed that it will not overtake
the farmer just when he is busy in the
field. The date under the present law
plays into the hands of the population
center, to the disadvantage of the ru-
raj community.
There is no question but that more
interest is taken in the nomination OF
candidates under the primary than
under the old caucus system, notwith-
standing the fact that the caucus sys-
TEN gave equal opportunity to all to
voice their pre-nomination sentiments
and to influence the nominations by
their votes. From this fact alone Il is
safe to assume that the primary will
be thoroughly tried out, amputated
here and patched up there, before 1t is