Omaha daily bee., 1909-08-31
Pointers on the Primary

winside Tribune: Really we do not
know whether we prefer the open primary
TO the closed one or not. Here the result
has been the same.
Stockville Republican-Faber: J. Albert
Johnson, an avowed socialist, received the
nomination for sheriff on the democratic.
populist and socialist ticket. That's the
result Of the democratic primary law.
scrlbner News Cdem): The main disap-
p%ointment in connection with the new pri-
mary law is it's failure to sustain the con-
~tention that making it possible for voters
TO cast their ballots without declaring
their party identity would bring out a
larger vote, In its general operation, how
ever, it cannot be said to be inferior TO the
old law.
Rushvllie Standard: h recent primary
election in Sheridan county will cost the
taxpayers approximately 5000, which is
something in excess OF 81 a vote. And all
this expense principally 20 find out which
Of the eight candidates r%unnins for sheriff
would be the nominee. Let's do away
with the primary. There is no sense In
holding two elections.
ST. Paul Republican: And now comes the
word from all over Of people who want
to repeal the direct primary law. But
they will never succeed. The people at
large have never yet handed bach a
right which they held in their own hands
to the political fixers. Is 1t possible that
the democrats of the last legislature so
fixed the direct primary that II would
fall into III repute because they lacked
the courage to repeal IL?
Waterloo Gazette: The open primary Is
coming In for its share Of condemnation,
as It's pernicious effect is seen in the
returns from over the state. BY means
OF the new system, there is nothing to
prevent democrats from nominating re-
publicans who may be undesirable, or re-
publicans naming democrats who likewise
are weak from a personal and perhaps a
party standpoint. The open primary should
not be permitted to stand.
Battle Creek Enterprises; Editor Goldie
Of the Wayne Democrat would like to meet
the legislative freak who improved" the
primary ballot and compel him to print
them in the few hours allowed by law. He
adds; Some damphule goes to Lincoln
with a freak idea in his head and all the
other ~damphules vote for 1t to get some
ridiculous measure of their own invention
put upon the statute books"
Lynch Journal, The state primary is a
thing Of the past and to our minds It Is a
total failure as far as working any reforms
in politics are concerned. The changes
made by the last legislature were decid-
eddy for the bad and the law was formerly
not what II was supposed to be. The peo-
pie Of the state do not seem to take to the
primary. We have not the figures at hand
but 1t must cost Boyd county not less than
$500 and not more than one-fifth Of the
voters attended the primary.
Ord Journal: The Journal is decidedly
opposed to the primary election plan and
has been consistently opposed to 1t for
three years. We shall be pleased II the
opposition that 1t is developing shall gain
such momentum that 1t will be an issue
in the next legislative campaign and that
as a result the obnoxious law shall be re-
pealed and the state and counties return
to the old convention system, where every
thing must be done in the open and every
act be known and read of all men,"
Battle Creek Enterprise: The funda-
mental principles OF the primary law can
not be attacked but the wlde-open primary
needed but one ffiRl to prove it a vicious
invention whichddefeats, even more than
the old corrupt convention system, an i'm
partial expression Of a peoples choice Of
candidates. 1t was commended that with a
wide-open primary many more would be
induced to vote. While such contention
was not without reason, experience has
taught us that we may look for no per-
ceptible increase. With a bitter local fight
in republican ranks, Madison county's vote
was less than 100 more than last year, and
had not a humble of democrats interested
themselves in the selection of republican
candidates the poll would have shown a de-