The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-08-01
Puzzles of the
Direct Primary Law

Seattle. WASH. July 80. Especial
correspondence If the population
of the state asylums is not increased
abnormally before the day of the pri-
mary election it will be wonder.
Various puzzles in the past have
driven people to insanity. but none
Of them ever contained the possibili-
ties for wrecknig sound minds that
are found in the second choice provi-
sion Of the direct primary law. If
you don't believe it. just allow one
statistical partisan of each OF the re-
spective leading candidates for gov
ernor figure it out Tor you for thirty
minutes. It would make Old Man
Percentage himself bug-house.
A good fgurer can show you how
his man will get thirty per cent of
the first choice vote. five per cent t
of one mans vote on second choice.
ten per cent of another's seven and
thrae-eighths of another's. and so on
One specimen of the walking arith-
metic was in Seattle the other day
demonstrating that bis candidate for
governor. starting out with eight per
cent of the first choice vote, ia bound
to be nominated. He figures enough
second choice votes from the various
other candidates to give his man q
total of IS per cent of the total first
and second choice. while the nearest
competitor will have only 55 per cent.
1t is fine plan of campaign, and the
only real weakness it has in practice
is the fact that the figures won t guar
antee the salaries of the Offices.
xx*
It is estimated that Is per cent Of
the Democrats will vote in the Repub
lican primaries. In the first place.
the Democrats have become so ac-
customed to voting the republican
ticket that It is almost second nature
with them. Then again. the Demo
Gratis having practically nominated
their state ticket at the convention
(called. for the purpose of evading
the primary law. a conference
held in Tacoma the first of the week.
it will be to their interest to assist
in the nomination OF some of the can
didates wherever possible. They have
already shown in the primary elec
tions IN the larger cities of the state
that they have ne scruples whatever
about participating in Republican pri-
maries.
Another flaw has been found in the
primary election law in that it
makes no direct provision for placing
the names of the candidates for ju
,dicial positions on the ticket for the
November election. These names are
on separate. non-partisan ticket for
the primaries. without party desiRna
tion. Only the necessary number
having the highest votes will have
their names on the ballot for the
November election. but since the
general election ballot has the names
printed in party columns. it is puz-
zling the proper officials as to where
and how to print the names of the
judicial candidates.
The statement that most Of the
state offices will 90 largely by default
was we'll illustrated last week when
two newspapers made the statement
that certain candidate for state
Office was without opposition. As q
matter Of fact that candidate. who
already holds the Office. has q partic-
ularly active opponent who mas
attracted some favorable mention
in the leading state papers.
~
There is every Indication that the
newspapers will hereafter cut some
figure in state politics. Legislative
candidates seem perfectly willing to
meet the reasonable demands for
legislation made by the State Press
Association in resolutions adopted
at the recent meeting at Vancouver.
The committee appointed by the
Association is actively at work. and
newspaper publishers generally are
not supporting candidates who are
not friendly to the press.
Mrs. M. w. Hudson and daughters
we're over from their lovely country
home on Harney channel. Shaw island.
Thursday. Mrs. Hudson's father.
who died year or two ago. Was the
owner OF Browns island here. which he
willed to his grandson. Mrs. Hudson's
son.