The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1909-02-24
FAvORS PRIMARY LAW.


1t is possible that the republican
majority in the state senate expressed
the sentiment of the members of their
party when they rejected the Clayberg
bill proving for q primary election
law in Montana patterned after the
law in force in Oregon. But it may
be of interest to know that they did
not share the views of republicans in
other at ates where the primary system
has been tried and is at the present
time in active operation, says the
Helena Independent.
Speaker J. N. Dolley, of the Kansas
assembly, a republican, and chairman
of the republican state committee OF
his state, recently addressed to Cover
nor Hughes, of New York, a letter ex-
pressing his views upon the question
of direct nominations. If the opinion
of a man as prominent as the chair.
man of the republican state commit.
tee and speaker of the assembly of
Kansas is worthy Of consider alton It
might not be amiss to consider his
statement. He has witnessed the law
in operation and when he declares that
Kansas would NJ more return to the
convention system of nomin ating can.
dds tes then they would think of re.
wing the old days of guerilla war.
fare, it should have some weight with
those recalcitrants members of the
Montana legislature who seem to be
determined that no adequate primary
law shall be enacted in this state.
Speaker Dolley's letter is 90 ex.
pressive of the evils of the old style
OF nominating and electing favored
candidates, that it is reprinted here
with. And We seriously question
whether the conditions which he de-
scribes under the old system in Kan
sas do not exist in every state in the
union which has not progressed sutfi.
to get out of the rut and enact
primary legislation:
II cannot tell you how corrupt, how
vicious, how high handed, how sub
versive of good morals, how rotten,
the old convention system was. In.
deed, the inside workings of state con-
ventions and the midnight conclaves
leading up thereto have never been
They need not be told. The old
sy stem is gone. Let its machin atoms
1t may suffice TO say that
and cabals representing the
corporations, the special interests and
those who have fattened at public ex.
pense had manipulated caucuses,
county conventions and state onven
tions, legislatures and congresses, and
traded and dickered and trafficked in
political candidates and policies for a
generation, and the people had no
remedy. The democratic party was
controlled by the same sinister in
1uence. A revolt at. the polls on
election day brought no relief.
"Perhaps the stu alton is different
in New York. Perhaps you have no
bosses of precincts and wards and
counties who obey the mandates of
higher bosses in state affairs. Per-
hays those who sit at the political pie
counter by grace of federal appoint
ments and all those who draw long
salaries for little work at public ex-
pense have not arrogated to them
selves the right to dictate to the re.
publican and democratic voters of
your state, county and local officers.
Perhaps there is a fair expression of
popular will in that regard. If So,
you do not need a primary election
law. If so, New York politics has
been badly maligned throughout the
republic
Speaker Dolley objections
that have been raised to the direct
nomination system, and adds that
"Kansas would no more return to the
convention system of ten years ago
than it would to the shotgun system OF
the Jayhawkers and Redlegs of fifty
years ago.