Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-12-16
DIRECT PRIMARIES.

All friends of the direct primary
system will applaud Gov. Johnson's
intention to support and sustain it
against all attempts to weaken it
or to return to the old method of
nominations by the bosses, through
hole n-the-corner caucuses and con-
ventiens. In taking that position
Gov. johnson does as he is pledged
to do by the platform upon which
he was nominated and elected,
which not only approves the present
law but calls for it's extension to all
state nominations. That PROPOSE
ton should commend itself to the
republican as we'll as the democratic
members of the legislature, for
there is no party color about it. 1t
is the law in every one of the four
republican states that surround
Minnesota. 1t is recognition Of
the right of the rank and file in
every party to make it's nominal
tions and not the bosses. and that
is why it is just as popular with
the people as it is unpopular with
the bosses.
1t may be that the direct pri-
mary plan tends to break up local
party organizations. In SO far as
that is true, it is a good thing
The party organization will hold
together and voters will feel bound
by party ties just as long as there
is any vital issue defining and d.
viding the parties, and no longer.
When it is as hard to tell the differ
ence between a republican and a
democrat as today, or to describe
what republican or a democrat is,
the people show that they do not
care much about the distinction, by
voting independently. lndepend-
ent voting is the terror Of the pro-
fessiona' politician, but the hope of
salvation of the country. 1t ought
! to be- facilitated, not hindered and
thwarted.-St. Paul Dispatch.
Henry Feig is mad-rip-roaring,
snorting, tearing, believing mad
Just because we had little fun
with him in an article on the pri.
mary election law couple of weeks
ago. He breaks out in the Gazette
like a bad case Of measles. 1t GER.
tainly is lots of fun to get the
megaphone statesman from Atwatel
and St. Paul going. We must &C.
knowledge that we have never beer
able to take Henry seriously, anc
consequently we can't afford tc
waste any time on him during :
campaign. But after the cam.
paign, when things get kind OIL
monotonous and fellow begins tc
yaWn from ennui, we don't know
Of anything that pleases US better
than to have Feig say or do some.
thing that gives US the opportunity
to pick up stick and poke him &
little in the ribs, just to see him
cavort around and hear him snort.
Of course there isn't the satisfac-
ton in it that there would be in
seeing him waddIe up to the plat
form and then hearing him below
at US, as used to be the case in the
old convention days - and maybe
that is one of the reasons why Hen.
ry wants to return to that style of
serving politics. But with the aid
Of the imagination one can almost
see and hear these things when
glancing at his article, and the
hearty laughter this causes is bet.
ter than medicine for THAT tireo
feeling" Of course, an overdose,
like the famous "57a columns to
late, " it will be likely to act like a
soporific, so person must know
when to quit amusing himself ir
that way.
However, it appears that Henr.
was merely acting as the mouth
piece for certain professional poll
| ticians who have determined, i
possible, to kill the primary law.
It will be a battle of the peopL
| versus the politicians, and in thi
battle the Tribune will do what il
can to speak for the people. In {;
serious discussion of that kind ii
will be necessary, Of course, to drol
Henry Feig out of consideration
Perhaps, after the Christmas rusl
is over, we may find time to treat
him and his effusion a little, sepa-
rate from the primary law discus
o;oy,