Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1910-05-06
DIRECT PRIMARY.

In a previous article, attention was
called to the nomination of public off
GERS by direct vote. The plan was eX-
planned and it was shown where the idea
has been adopted. 1t is the purpose of
this article to set forth some of the OBJ
jections to the caucus and convention
system.
The method now employed is nothing
more than custom. The trainers of
our state constitution did not provide a
method of ascertaining the will of the
people in the matter of nominations, so
we have drifted in common with other
states into the present custom of doing
so by way of caucus delegate system,
recognized in way by statute.
While the evils OF the system We're
early apparent, we We're, in the early
days of its use, able to get along fairly
well under it, because the minds of the
people We're in those days, kept keenly
attuned to the political conditions.
Great questions were engaging their at
tention. The great Civil war and the
resulting problems of reconstruction,
and the great commercial development
of the nation and the problems con-
nected herewith, all served to keep up
the interest of the people in public mat
tiers. But these later years, the age of
combinations, of uniting certain lines of
business under gigantic trusts carried to
an extent characterized by the Attorney
General in his recent speech in Chicago
as follows: Whose extent and un-
checked growth threatened the stability
of free Institutions" have developed
the real danger of the further continu-
ance of the system.
Let US consider the objections to the
present method: % 1t subjects the
choice of the people to the control of
certain rules. A candidate must carry
his town or county to stand any show in
the county or state convention. Local
jealousies serve many times to prevent
the people from having the services of
able men in public positions. 1t has
given certain effect to the mountain
rule" This is in effect, a geographical
rule which says in substance, THE can
didate may be an able man, the best
man for the position, but the republican
party cannot nominate him because he
does not live where he ought to live.
If he lived elsewhere, we might call him
to the public. service" The choice of
the people is thereby limited. In no
other state has this dangerous rule
gained such strength as in our state. Is
ability and qualification for Office thing
which shifts from the east to the west
side of the state every two years?
(2) 1t promotes the conduct of an I'M
scrupulous pre-convention campaign.
In order to wage a successful campaign,
the candidate for governor must have
representatives in every county. That
man is the county BOSS as far as
that candidate is concerned. He goes
over the county from time to time,
keeps in touch with the situation, keeps
the "boys" in line, helps to plan the
conduct of the caucuses, and after the
caucuses are held, sees that all delegates
favorable to his candidate are sent tC
the convention, and their expenses PAID
if necessary. He knows the game OF
politics so far as his county is concern
ed. He is resourceful to the end of
getting out to the caucus only his owl
ratainers and henchmen. He is past
master in the art of caucus manipula
ton. The method of conducting. these
campaigns during the past twenty-five
years has served to materially lower the
standard of our political morality. The
campaign is not conducted with a view
to allowing all the people to express
their wish, but with view of combining
the election of delegates to the choice
of few, and the few being those fav
orable to one candidate.
81 The choice of candidates by con.
vention system is a choice by delegates
subject to their personal prejudices by
which they are ever controlled. They
represent the politicians responsible fol
their election, and not the people as 6
whole. Their voice in the convention il
a voice of the politician so responsible