Bisbee daily review., 1908-04-09
PRIMARY ELECTIONS.

PRIMARY ELECTIONS.
 The primary elections in connee- soa with our municipal election, which occurs next month, are draw ing near. While we do not think the primary election law in Arizona is what it should be, it provides for the nomination of candidates for office in regular form and under legal con trol. So far as the virtue of the law is concerned it extends only to divid- ing the different political parties in their primaries. Before the primary law was enacted it had been charged that the old system of allowing par ties to hold their primary elections when they pleased and without legal regulation. one party was in the habit of participating in the primaries of another party and vice versa. Un der the new law primaries of all DO iitical parties are required to be held on the same day and in the same room, as a means of confining each voter to his own party in the matter of participating in the nomination of candidates.
 Unfortunately the Arizona primary law does not permit the voter to sig nifty his choice as to who shall be come the candidate for certain offices. It only permits the voter to vote for delegates to 6 convention where the candidates are to be chosen; of course it is generally known for whom the delegate candidates will vote in the convention, but this is not always the case.
 The primary law, was intended to provide means for the members of one political party to select its candi- dates without interference or partici- patton by members of another politi- cal party. Under the law ther is little possibility of anyone securing an election without having been nom mated by some party. A man may have his name placed on the official ballot by petition. but since the Aus traIian ballot system was put in ope- ration in Arizona we know of no in dependent candidate having been elected.
 Those who participate in primary election or convention for the pur- pose Of nominating party candidates are supposed to be willing to abide by the result and support the party nom inees: if this was the invariable rule it would be easy to foretell the result of the election after the holding of the primaries, but there are many who feel at liberty to control the re suit of the primaries and conventions and failing turn round and support candidates of an opposing party. Such action Is seldom justified. There are cases when it is well to rebuke & party for making undesirable nomi. nations, but as a rule prospective candidates are generally known in time for those who find in the list of candidates men for whom they cannot conscientiousIy vote to abstain from participation in the preliminary party work. SO that they may remain un. pledged to support the nominees Of their own parties:
 It is not political honor for a man to go into q primary or convention and endeavor to name candidates and then turn to an opposing party for favorftes at the final election Such action will never result in any man rising very high on the plane of DO HticaI fame and it should not
 Under the law one may be chal- Ienged and asked If he proposes to vote the party ticket resulting from the primary election where he offers to vote. Such challenge ought not