The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-26
kAMs<SsC0AAENT
WHY PEOPLE WANT PRIMARIES.

WHY PEOPLE WANT PRIMARIES
Disclosures being made berore the
session of the Republican national
committee at Chicago show that the
selection of delegates to the national
convention from some of the southern
districts, has little in point of thigh
moral plane" to distinguish it from
the practice of peanut politics in small
municipal fights. Years ago the issues
OF right and wrong in local political
fights were wont to be settled by the
right getting there first-thus proving
Itself the right--and presenting hob
nailed shoe sole in the face of the
wrong which came a trihe later
thereby proving itself the wrong. Th1s
pleasant custom with some variations
still obtains, II seems, in the warm
hearted and generous south country.
1t was shown in the investigation last
week that one well known figure in
national politics had shrewdly passed
around bogus tickets to his friends
and countrymen in advance OF his dis
trict convention, and when the regular
delegates arrived they found the hall
in possession of those who, while lack
ing credentials, had the advantage of
holding the seats. In various other
cases factions were pulled bodily out
of conventions at the first sign of de-
feat from the majority, and boiling
conventions were organized in the
hope of meeting a partisan advantage
in the decision upon credentials at
Chicago. The game in all its features
is an ancient one, whose rules are
familiar to every grating politician
whose code of ethics is summed up in
the declaration: BEAT 'em; beat 'em
with votes If possible, but beat 'em
nuIlified the established process by
which the citizen expresses his choice
in conventions, through delegated
authority chosen under majority rule.
And because of just such practices as
this the people have demanded pri-
mary systems of nominations that
shall take away from the professional
politician his pleasant occupation of
meeting popular will with a s1ndbag,
whenever popular will happens to run
counter to his schemes.
The committees work at Chicago
seems to be exposing the fraud and
disposing the fraudulent delegations.
Unless such protection stands between
the people and the delivery Of right
fully delegated authority in the con-
vention vote, primary reform will go
on up into national nominations.--Ot-
tawa Herald.
AMERICAN EMIGRATION.
The emigration of American farmers
to the New Canada" has never been
SO great as at the present time, and
this, of course, is one of the conse-
quences of the unsettled state of affairs
in the republic. .-...
In the spring Of last year. when the
whole continent was enjoying almost
unexampled prosperity, there was a
falling off in the northward flow of
population; but now that the circum-
stances have changed, the Canadian
immigration authorities are over
whelmed with work passing on into
the country the most welcome of all
settlers. The Winnipeg correspondent
of the Daily Mail reported recently
that as many as five trains filled with
settlers from the United States Mid
die West" entered Canada in one day
last month.
Last year 56.551 persons left the Unit
ed States to. make their homes in the
Dominion. as compared with 63,7S2 in
1906 and 5000 in 1905, the total number
of American settlers in Canada being
now fully S5O,O0Os n would be almost
impossible to over estimate their value
to the country at large, for not only
they are accustomed to the kind of
farming which is suitable for Canada,
but, unlike the immigrants from any
other country, they were very we'll
supplied with this worlds goods when
they presented themselves before the
government officials. They took into
the country tens Of millions of dollars
in household effects, farming imple-
ments, stock and cash, and their value
to Canada has been placed On a low
estimate, at $780, 900, 000.-Wichita Eagle