Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1909-01-21
Honest Primaries Needed.

especially methods employed to nomi-
nate for legislature. judge or governor
men who are not the choice Of even
one-tenth OF the grand-jury class in
their own party. 1t matters compare
lively little who executes the laws. out
it matters everything who makes them
II matters little who is sheriff, but ev-
erything who is legislator, judge or
governor. Our political system was
based on an expectation that msjori
ty in every legislature would value hon
est government, and that every legisla-
ture would contain few realiy y compe'
tent and fearless men free Of corrupt mo
tive. And this expectation was realized
till vast private interests, hostile to
common interests, entered politics for
the purpose OF blacklisting fearless,
5rainy men OF robust integrity. The
value Of such men in legislature cannot
be exaggerated. They may not always
control, but they always prevent cor
rupt legislation. 1t goes without say
ing that such men will not enter the
game of politics as now played in this
State. Such men will not st )op 10 cul-
tivate the influence Of the crooks, ward.
heelers and hirelings who often control
Nominations by combining venality with
ig ,orance. 1t is common observation
that men of great ability, but abnor-
mally corrupt, become candidates for
legislative 1tfice because attorneys for
schemes TO pluuder the pubic, and that
such candidates always have the sup
port OF wardheelers.
Reso' utIous are useless. Honest gov.
erument will never come back till we
restore to the grand jury class the only
weapon that will right the wrong.
Experience teaches that the grand
jury class seldom takes interest as TO
the legislature unless the candidate Of
the majority party has procured his
nomination by corrupt methods for ex-
ample, by en!isting venality to assem-
be ign )rant voters. But. If the nomI-
nation for legislature, judge or govern
or shocks the grand jury class, then
they are ripe to rebel: not against their
party but against corrupt men using
party loyalty to defeat the party Will.
When nomination was obtained by
unclean methods, twenty years ago, the
honest part of the intelligent class would
induce some really clean aud compe-
tent man TO run independent, and II
was in this way that many Of the most
valuable men ever in public life were
brought TO the front. The fear that
the honest element would bring out an
independent caused crooks TO consult
the honest element. Students OF polite
al history know that nearly every reform
originated either with some man elect.
ed as an Independent, or Nth some
au, like Roosevelt, brought forward
by accident. We should remember
three facts. The grand jury class never
re bells unless a nomination is procured
by unclean methods Second, When they
do rebel their first movement is to in
duce some really com mpetent mao TO
{. nsent TO serve the public, ADD, Third,
They 'vote their party ticket more
cheerfully when they can convenient
ly scratch an Objectionable name.
Attorneys for schemes to plunder the
masses were so often thwarted by hon
est, fearless men that they decided TO
doctor our election law and prevent In.
dependents. Hence they mised the
into so amending the Law OF
1891 as TO forbid the printing OF an in
dependent on the ballot. Those attor-
neys based their amendment on the fact
that not exceeding one voter In three
will take trouble TO scratch out one and
write in another. 1t will undoubtedly
emedy the situation TO put this part OF
the law back TO where 1t was in 1881 !:
VIZ, whenever one per cent OF voters
make written request that q man runs
Independent for legislature, judge or
governor, then his name shall be print
ed, marked independent, under the
name OF the nominee on every ticket.
This will force every voter TO select be-
tween the nominee and the independent.
Surely all good men will unite TO bring
about honest government
or course auy suggestion in this be-
half will be opposed by men making
money out OF corrupt politics, but All
such men are objects Of universal dis
gust where they live and the sooner We
break up their nefarious trade the bef-
ter for the state. Political crooks may
frighten young politicians by objecting
that, in close counties, an independent
will elect the nominee Ot the minority
party, But the answer is:-First, Po-
litical crooks seldom risk rascality- 10
close counties. In such Counties their
game is to nominate honest men who
are either timid or innocent. Second,
The independent is invariably elected
unless the minority candidate Is an ex-
ceptionally good man, and, II he is, ii
is the best for the public that he be
elected. Third. In ths days of wing
and democrat, party loyalty was far
stronger than at present. but experience
proved that the nominee Of the minori-
ty party was never elected nnless pre-
eminently qualified.
WEST VIRGINIA.
Caae mofhar Hrow Xor1N