The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-07-16
RULE BY JACK Pot.
CAN NOT BE STOPPED BY COURTS
SAYS PROSECUTOR
a. aBs a. I WAYMhN.
= kss4 sfss ,st4
People Must Demand Their Rights
Under New Primary LaW--Crlti-
cises Governor Ecneen and
Others.

One axiom illustrated by all history
and as true as ever, is that men vest
ell with power will never voluntarily
relinquish it, In the words CT Mon
tesquieu. Constant experience shows
us that so endless and exorbtant are
tEeI desires Of men that they will
grasp at all ROVER and can form no
scheme of perfect happiness with
less"
Government of the people is of no
avail unless the people are the gov
eminent. With all sovereignty resting
in the people, with frequent elections,
with free speech untrammelcd, with
civil, political and religious liberty
guaranteed by the constitution, VIC
find that corruption IN public office
has become almost habit in this
country. With the recent disclosures
not only in our own state but in other
states, it would seem to be about time
for us all to agree that in filing the
public offices the professional poll
ticans have not been profound
success.
"Jack-pots" cannot be eliminated
from the legislature by trials in the
criminal court. Corruption in public
office cannot be remeded by prosecu-
tions. The cloud upon the fair name
of Illinois can never be lifted by pass
ing resolutions. If the public officials
in this state are not what the people
want, the people themselves are to
blame.
1t was with the view Of taking the
lead in promulgating a new manner
'6f election to public oIIce and the
Selection 81 cahdida,es that Illinois
as8e@I.eeaEs xgasriasthundrous tones,
demanded that there be placed upon
3lie Sstatute Z books by the legislature
Ia direct primary law, giving the PEG
ple the unrestricted right to choose
not only for what candidate they
would cast their ballot, hut for the
man they wanted as candidate. The
history of the fight in this sttae for
direct primary is an interesting chap
ter in the theory of government We
have heard it's cause cspoused from
the platform with eloquence, de-
manded in the press with determine
tion and vigilance, and subscribed to
in the platforms by the two great po-
litical parties. So interested did the
psobHes Descbihe fnSshis idea OF select
itgsthsia pMp eaphidates that when
the matter was submitted to the PEG
pic upon 1asreferendum vote as to
whether stheM would, have revision
of the system of nominating candi
dates there were 59O,976 votes for
and 7S.4i6 against. and the subject
was first given attention FIVE years
ago in the legislature of 1905.
Our New Primary Law
The speaker here referred to the
several Intellectual attempts to get {
primary law that would meet the de
mands Of the people and be approved
by the supreme court, continuing a.
!, follows ,
On December 8, 1909. the governo
of the state again called in speeia
session the Legislature The legisia
ture enacted another primary law, /
was approved March 9, 1910, in fore
July /, 1910. And so you see tina
we now have on the statute books
after much trial and tribulation. tn
fourth direct primary law. in answe
to the voice of the people demanding
it by such an overwhelming majority
We thought that the purpose of thi
4 law was to give the unrestricted an
nntrammeled power of nomination
that the committees Of the parties
that had before this statute met il
catieus and determined the nomins
tons would come into their own. w
thought that the day Of the youn
man in politics had arrived that h
could now submit mis- candidacy t
the people of his county or his stat
on an equal basis with every othe
citizen, and that no man would b
Handicapped by having his opposin
candidate approved and ratified by
county central committee. w
thought that government of the pc,
, pie, for the people and by the peop'
had received a new baptism, and tn;
the old practice Of nominations
caucus was thing of the past.
) Mr., Justice Cartwright, in his OPT
ion holding the first primary law u
constitutional, said: "At the time I
the adoption Of the constitution ca
: didatcs for office were nominated |
means of the caucus and conventic
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