The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-07-08
THE PRESS ON TIE PRIMARY.

alone in their utter condemnation OF
the Iowa primary law. Many other
county conventions, both Repupllcah
and Democratic, declared for Its re-
peal. The newspapers of the state
that have expressed themselves on the
subject without exception as Tar as
observation goes, have either demand
| ed its repeal or modification in essen
1tial respects. II the main the oplec-
lions to it are its impracticability and
i its expense both to candidates and tax
payers. The Waterloo Reporter,
conservative paper, thinks repeal OF
the law out of the question for the
present, but that it can be made bet
ter and more useful In speaking
along this line it says:
sThe actual demonstration OF tie
unpleasant fact that the average voter
/ is not acquainted with the merits OF
most of the candidates for state off &c
takes away from the primary law In
its present scope practically all the
advantages that have been claimed
for it. Outside of one or two places
on the state ticket, like governor and
railroad commissioner, as an instance,
the voters went at it catch-as-catch-
can, and the first name on the ballot
got the vote without particular consid-
GRAFTON. If the law should be amend
ed. restoring the state convention as
the nomination medium, making the
county the unit instead of the state.
and substituting delegates in place of
the required percentage vote the Re-
porter believes an Improvement would
be made and the electors would be
able to register their desires much
more intelligently than is possible I'M
der the provisions of the present pri-
mary statute"
4 Ed. Chassell, state binder and pub
Usher of an insurgent paper, would
amend the law. His plan Is endorsed
by the Des Moines Register and Lead
er. He comedies that the law works
badly. .bu. III nks it would be all right
Ii the prnnary ticket were published
III full In advance in the newspapers
1t is estims ted by the Oskaloosa Her
A aid that this would add perhaps $780,
0aa 30 The present high cost of this
Expensive political luxury, but the pub
Usher Of the Herald says he would
try to stand 1t, though he is also a
taxpayer. Both parties In their conyen.
lions in Oskaloosa unanimously recon.
: tmended repeal of the primary. The
| insurgent Republican delegates all vot
ed for its repeal
, The Fairfield Ledger sees no hope
, of lettering the law short of RELOCATING
it to the scrap pile. Noting that the
law is in disrepute all over the state
the Ledger says:
The primary election law was re
, ferred to in majority OF the couatie,
whose convention reports have come
TO the Ledger's notice and in not
single instance was it commended Il,
s critics do not hesitate to condemn |
. and its most ardent friends are com
S peeled to apologize for it. Say wha
9 you please, the system is expensive
= unfair and unsatisfactory And it
question whether or not the Law
: can be patched mp as to perform wha
: it has promised"
The Ottumwa Courier points on
/ that under the primary law there i
: first fight to carry the primary the
), fight to control the convention, al,
I then a fight at the election. TIL
e main fruit of the primary election lay
J seems to be succession of fights
L The conclusion drawn from this by III
Z Courier is that Iowa seems to be i
need of some anti-fght Legislation
;nf !,
!. law mot only a costly proposition
: but an absolute failure" The creates
objection the Herald sees to it lie
: In the fact that there is no way G
educating the voters so that they ma
i be able to cast an intelligent vote i
= making the nominations. The Heral
= suggests that the law should b
changed so as TO provide for the nom
= nation of governor by the people
: and the selection of delegates to cour
= ty conventions, who in turn would S,
y lect the delegates to the state col
!. vention, to whom would be delegate
q the duty of making all other nomin;
!. tions.
The Fontanelle Observer declare
that the law is impractical as a stat,
wide proposition The Storm LAX
: Pilot-Tribune says radical changes i
L it are necessary; that its very amen,
: ment so that the names of candidate
" could be rotated in the different coul
lies is 3 confession of its weakness
e The Adams County Union-Republica
a urges three objections which it say
IL are Of grave Importance: "a It's e
IS pease to the state and to TIE individr
sr al candidates: 90 its lack of adequat
safeguards tu prevent members of on
st party from voting for candidates
lg another, and (3l the possibilities
e offers large interests fer controllin
% nominations for state offices Befol
n the primary law went into effect,
IS is said, there were 1000 Democrat
e. in Des Moines. Now there are les
than 700. Undoubtedly the Dem