The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1908-02-07
PRIMARY ELECTION.
PARTY.

Make cross in the square ] 10 front
of as many names for each office as is
indicated under the title of such office.
NATIONAL.
United States Senator.
Vote for one.
II George j Glasier
James II. Flynn
II Frank II. Riley
STATE.
Governor.
Vote for one.
Edward II. Smith
Richard Roe
Representative in State Legislature.
- District.
Vote for one.
James w. White
Edward Gibbons
Owen Dolan
Richard r. Rush
Charles White
John H. Jones
1t will be noticed that there are i'm
this sample ballot just six candidates
III hOhb'hoh'Oh III iOptNoChbo I've w Aho
state legislature, just the number that
the editor of The True Northerner sup
poses: THAT in primary election there
should be six candidates for sheriff, and
that 5000 votes should be cast in the
primaries, it would be possible for man
to be nominated with sol votes, one
sixth of the total vote. and it might be
man whom the other 2,499 voters would
not have under any circumstances.
This is true, theoretically, the same as
absolute free trade may be good gov
ernmental policy, but it is practically
impossible and not at all probable. and
do not believe that such a thing would
ever occur.
Asa parallel illustration, let us see
what might be done by the convention
method. There are 1874 delegates in this
county by the last apportion This
equires 80 votes to nominate. 1t would
be possible for Paw Paw with %, Hart
ford with Ia, Bangor with l9, Antwerp
with Ia and South Haven with 20 votes,
making total OF SO votes, to nominate
and elect every single county officer for
the combined vote of these five town
ships, which is two more than all the
other l3 townships together. While
this is possible, such thing never has
been and never will be done Neither
is it at all likely that two or three of the
largest towns in the county would name
every candidate on the ticket and shut
out the rest of the county, as the editor
of The True Northerner seems to think
| have too much faith in the peoples
love of justice, right and fair dealing to
believe that they would ever consent to
do such thing. Let US confne our ar
guments on this question to probable
tiles and not Theoretical. possibilities.
The editor of the South Haven Tribune
and Messenger in recent issue ia re-
porting the last primary meeting said,
This lack Of interest we ascribe to two
principal reasons: First, general salts
faction with present conditions, as re-
CARDS the cleanness Of county politics
and the efficient and honest service OF
our county officials. Second, the fact
that the promoters of the movement
are all active or passive aspiraDts for
county or legislative Office"
Our answer to the first is that the
editor must pot be in very close touch
with the people outside of the self SO.
lected few who run the conventions and
cohtrol nominations or he would know
that the great mass of the republican
voters in the county are thoroughly dis
gusted with the system, and the facts
found out by recent committee OF the
board OF supervisors seem to prove that
not all OF our county officers have done
the right thing. ln answer to the
second, let US look at both sides, side by
side. The primary leaders are one can.
didate for county clerk, one ex candidate
for Judge OF probate, one ex candidate
for prosecutor, one ex candidate for state
representative and one who is not
candidate. The leaders OF the opposi-
ton are practically all candidates for
office, Office holders or ex Office holders.
being three candidates for prosecutor,
two for state representative and one for
drain com missioner, one ex state senator,
two ex-sheriffs, two ex-state officers, one
ex-register OF deeds and four or NOR
postmasters. Th re is an old saying
that people who live in glass houses
should not throw stones"
In conclusion wish to say that in
our campaign for primary elections we
propose to treat every argument with