The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-08-31
A REAL PRIMARY.

The returns from the Mississippi pri-
maries show hearty and earnest con-
tests before the voters of that state for
the Democratic nominations, as the
primary was intended and expected
to bring about everywhere. 1t is
gratifying proof that primaries can be
run honestly; that when so held the
voters turn out, and the nominations,
therefore, represent the will of the
people, not the dictate of a caucus or
ring. 1t shows further the difference
between healthy and unhealthy poll
tics, between democracy and ring
ISM 1t is scarcely to be wondered
at that where the spirit of the primary
is abused and outraged all those crimes
which follow in the footsteps of I'M
healthy politics-fraudulent registra-
ton, repeating, ballot-box stuffing and
fergery-are rampant.
No better illustration of the differ
ence between the real and the fake
or bunco primary could be given than
in the case of Mississippi and New Or
leans. In the latter the nominations,
with the exception of two or three,
were made in caucus. and the candi-
dates shifted around from place to
place to place to suit the bosses and
no one else.
Take the Eighth Mississippi Con-
gressional District as a sample of the
popular choice of a congressman to
succeed Mr.. John Sharp Williams, as
against the New Orleans system of
having the candidates chosen by one
or two leaders" In Mr.. Williams
district, the Eighth, the field was open
to all who wanted to run, and no one
had to ask the favor or consent of this
or that officeholder or politician.
There were no less than six candi-
dates, and the vote as announced yes
terday for the three highest, the re-
turns being official from all the coun-
ties except Madison, was: Pat Henry
1851, Collied 1853, R. H. Henry 1451-
difference of only ten votes between
them. A second primary will have to
be run between the two highest, but
these are so close that it has been sug-
| gested by some one that all three run
the race over again, and let the plu-
rality man get the nomination, this is
not in accord with the primary law,
and it is needless to say cannot be
done.
1t is gratifying to know that in a con-
test as close as this not word is said
about fraud. There is some question,
it is true, as to whether certain votes
are to be counted or not, and the inc
vitable question again presents itself
whether the intention of the voter is to
be considered rather than the require
ment of the state, etc. These are
points for the committee to decide I'M
der the primary law, and as that law
is clear and specific on all points, there
should be little difficulty in reaching a
conclusion.
The striking features of the Missis.
sippi primary-in marked and violent
contrast to that in New Orleans-are
the number of candidates and the OPP
portunity offered all worthy citizens
to enter the field, the free and indie
pendent vote of all citizens, the GER
tainty that under this system the man
desired by the people, and in every
probability the best and ablest candi-
date, will be successful. And all this
in the interest of honest and decent
politics and good government is ac-
complished without bringing scandal
and disrepute to. the community and
division and bitterness to the party by
election frauds. Thus the people are
shown the merits and advantages of
the genuine primary, for which the
people of New Orleans contended and
which they thought they had gotten,
only to find that they had been. bun
coed and swindled.-New Orleans
Times-Democrat