The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1908-09-26
Direct Primary,

two planks. One related to a direc
primary election law. The senator
struck out the word direct" and tn,
plank was accepted by the resolution.
committee and adopted unanimously
ty' the convention. When the legisla.
ture convened in 1907, Wyman of Ada
introduced a direct" primary bill
largely modelled along the lines of the
oregon law. True to platform
pledge, Senator Hepburn drafted a
| primary law. not of the direct" va
rlety, designed to overcome MANY of
the objections to the Oregon system.
The Hepburn bill was a good one If
would have brought elections much
closer to the people," which was the
pledge of the Pocatello platform. Sen
ator Hepburn would still like to see
such law enacted; he is not opposed
to the principle of bringing elections
closer to the people. What he de-
sires, obviously, is retention of party
organization-not a machine" but a
political entity, which shall be respon-
sible for failures and entitled to credit
for successes.
Mr.. Brady has always been in favor
OF primary election law. He intends
to take the stump in this campaign to
advocate such an enactment. Con-
gresham French, Colonel Hamer and
Senator Borah will join him in sug-
costing to voters the ACCESSIBILITY of
choosing state representatives who
will use their best endeavors to place
such law on the statute books. That
is the proper way to go about it. This
question should rest entirely in the
hands of the electors of the state.
They should not be dominated by a
party pledge or promise one way or
another. They should vote free from
the trammels of a platform plank, And
therein Senator Hepburn, who de-
feated a direct primary plank at the
Boise convention, is and was consist
ent. The Tribune has no doubt that
majority of the delegates at Boise
favored some sort of a primary law
which would not disrupt the party Or
ganization. Senator Hepburn declared
this to be his position on the plat
form, but advised the convention that
to bind candidates for the legislature,
in different counties, where
different candidates prevail, to vote
for the enactment of a certain speci-
red sort of a measure, would be an
of authority. The SEN
ator asked the convention not to be |
hasty or arbitrary, and pursuant to |
his advice the convention refused to |
bind legislators to any particular
brand of primary law, leaving the way
open, when the legislature convenes, |
or the enactment of a law satisfac-
DRY to a majority of the voters of the
state.
No one will argue that the counties
,ave not right to either instruct or
all to instruct their legislative candi-
lates to vote for or against direct"
primary law. No one will doubt the
light of legislative candidates to cam
'aign on that proposition. The action
# the state convention preserves such
right to the counties and to theil
andidates. The question is now alb
olutely free and open for discussion
y all the various candidates; where
s, had the state convention bound
Lself to a direct primary law, every
andidate on the ticket, whether in
avor of such law or not, would have
cen compelled to support it with his
dice of not with his heart.
The main arguments advanced by
enator Hepburn at Boise were not
gainst a primary law; they were di-
ected toward the obvious fact that
he people of this state are not fully
formed upon the question, and that
bind their legislative candidates to
D certain thing the effect of which
ley are not sure of, would have been
MUST and unfair.
A discussion pro and con in this
as to the merits of the
lestion will assuredly help the peo-
e to determine who shall be their
oice for the legislature and what
ey shall do when elected; and to
r. Brady is due great measure of
edit for carrying the question into
e campaign on that basis.
1t should be remembered that Sena-
Hepburn in his campaign speeches
not attacking the proposition of
Imary law, for the good and sufIi-
mt reason that he is not opposed to
enactment of that sort of law. The
lator on the stump is merely try
to induce the people to remem-