The Glenwood post., 1910-08-13
BROWNE ATTACKS
DIRECT PRIMARY

In these piping days of discussion
upon the merits and demerits Of the
| standpatters and the insurgents anS
the various views as to the value OF
the initiative and referendum. the di-
rect primary, the recall and the many
other fads and isms that are intruding
themselves upon public attention, an
interesting article appears in the Den
yer Republican, from the pen Of Col.
| Ed. F. Brown, formerly of Aspen but
now living at Los Angeles where he
| is making careful study of the new
doctrines as put into actual practice
in California, Oregon and elsewhere.
| We quote in part from Col. Browns
article as:
see that governor Shafroth has call
I'd the legislature together to pass laws
intended to destroy Republican repre-
sentative government in Colorado.
I think it will be a success because
the insurgent element is strong in the
state and Republican insurgents
seem willing to do anything to des-
troy the Republican party if it
does not accept every new thing
presented by their fertile but
wobbly' brains. The insurgent
plainly says that unless Republicans
adopt his form of Bryan Democracy OF
semi Socialist nonsense, he will vote
with the Democrats, and Senator Goro
of Oklahoma. and Bryan IS partner, who
is running for senator in Nebraska, re-
turns the compliment by saying that
La Toilette, Bristow, Pinchot and COM
pany are good enough Democrats for
them.
Here in Los Angeles they have all Of
the reforms Shafroth desires, and if it
has not destroyed both party organiza-
tions I am deceived, and it has built up
the rottenest machine I ever have seen
in politics. The class of men selected
are recognized as puppets who are con-
trolled by others, and as the Offices are
held by men who sought the position
! Ia necessity under the primary nomin-
atom and who are not held to any
form of party responsibility, it is ma
tural that the city government is en-
tirely in the hands of designing men
who sought office for the pay or to as
sist some selfish interest.
The first attempt at primary selection
in Los Angeles elected two men to the
council who were unqualified legally to
hold the office. A convention wouf1
have considered their availability and
demand withdrawal if necessary, but it
cost the taxpayer $36 to elect the
other men to replace these men select
ed in error. Instead of representative
men of the party selecting strong can
didates to carry the banners, the pri-
mary nomination leaves it to those who
desire Office to get on the ticket by pc
tition. I can see no way for an "office
to seek the man. under a primary
nomination.
1t is a scramble among pack OF
office seekers each with some fad, and
is so expensive that no one without
good financial backing or the owner Of
newspaper can come into the game.
In selecting state officers in this way
the cities control the situation com
pletely, as their votes can be concen'
trated, while outside candidates natur-
ally not working in harmony, kill each
other off in the nominating game.
Goodbye to geographical distribution
Of Offices with primary nominations in
force! Stone, by concentrating the rab-
BILE vote in st. Louis and Kansas City,
doomed the great reformer Folk. al
though Folk practically carried the
state of Missouri.
Chamberlain was made senator in the
same way. In Colorado, the state would
merely be the fag end of Dcnver's dirty
politics, and the worst element in Den
yer would dictate nominations.
In California, San Francisco and Los
Angeles will dictate nominations, the
outside counties naturally, cannot con-
centrate on candidates in a state a
thousand miles long. There are eight
candidates for the office of governor in
California and several of them have
already been on the road for months
and the primary does not come off un-
til Aug. 16. 1t is reported that the
" insurgent" candidate has $250,00O to
expend and that another man repre-
sents the corporation with prospective
"boodle" if he gets it, and the only
real Republican, Los Angeles man,
already acknowledges that it has cost
his friends $4,000 to date, and the
nominating primary still a month away