The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-12-17
~ INVITATION TO FRAUD.


1t will be a difficult matter to justify
the action of the Democratic judicial
Committee in ordering a wide open
primary for the important offices OF
Judge and Attorney General. Chair
man Smiser, of this county, who made
a gallant if losing fight for an election
that would give the people some reas-
enable assurance of a square deal, very
correctly characterized it as the old
fashioned, wide open, fraud primary
In brief and in short the primary
ordered by the committee is without
aud beyond the law. Not 4 single
restriction that the primary act
of 1901 throws around cleo
tions will safeguard its holding.
While, as heretofore stated, The Her
aid is no advocate OF the primary foi
The selection of Judges. yet if a pri-
mar we must have it should have
every legal restriction thrown around
ii The committee should have adopt
ed the Smiser plan, which would have
given the people primary under the
law one where the frauds of voters
or officers could certainly have been
detected and punished
The wide open primary is an invita-
ton to fraud II throws down the
oars. There is no law to throw its
protecting mantle around the ballot
box and guarantee an honest registra-
ton of the peoples will. In this
county we have one of those strange
and almost unaccountable anomalies
that prove so puzzling to the students
Of our system Of government. The
election for the county candidates is
hedged about with every safeguard;
the judicial primary has none of them.
And vet it would be better to elect six
corrupt aud unworthy county officers
han to elect a Judge who is not
worthy OF his trust. If the judiciary
is not kept above reproach then in
deed is the whole fabric of our govern
ment shaken.
The action of the committee in call
ing a primary outside of the law is
hardly calculated to increase popular
respect for the law. How are we
going to ask the people to revere and
yield obedience to the mandates of a
judiciary selected in this Ques-
tionable manner? The people
# this Circuit will have a Judge
and Attorney General whose title
10 office rests primarily upon
the fiat of a committee not one OF
whom was elected with reference to
the nomination of the judiciary
For years The Herald has been bat
Ting for honest elections. 1t has
urged the enactment of primary cleo
ton laws that would compel commit
tees to protect the people against
fraud and force in the making of party |
1t has no interest In
the judicial contest except that which |
every good citizen should have. II !
has no candidate for Judge and none
FOR Attorney General. But 1t realizes !
that this is a government of officials !
md the character OF government when
the people enjoy depends upon the
character of those whom they commits
sion to administer 1t. 1t never advo-
Gates candidates save when their cleo .
ton is necessary to promote the inter-
,sts of good government or the enact ;
ment of some necessary reform. 1t
has no favors to ask of government
The Herald does not charge that
there will be actual fraud in the ju-
licial primary. 1t believes that the
members of the committee will APP
point honest men to hold the election. 1
But 1t does insist that the calling OF
, urinary without the law is an invi-
alton to fraud. The only protection
hat the people will have will be the
personnel of the election officers.
t4avinr ordered primary that will
le held under no statute It will not
,e easy to detect and punish fraud.
However. the most serious objection
o the plan is that It permits those
who are not qualified voters under the
avs OF Tennessee to participate in
he selection of candidates for two