The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-06-10
THE FIGHT IN THE PAkTYo


The 'nsurgcnt Republicans having
won out on the Congressional delega'
tion in Iowa, appear TO be less success
ful in Wisconsin. where the so.callod
stalwarts' are in charge of tho State
convention which was called to steer
the primaries right That is. this con-
vcntion meets and makes nominations
in quite the old way, and the party
primaries are supposed to ratify those
nominations. AS a matter OF fact, they
have to ratify them, or tho votes arc
so scattered that no one would he nomi'
tho primary law. The "unguidcd "
primaries are the prey of every
blathcrskite demagogue that raises his
head in the State. The party vote
is so scattered without tho guidance of
a convention that no one gnrs the ma
iority nomination, The ''high man. is
dissatisfied If the party does not sup
port him. even though he has not the
majority of the party votes. But with
out the ma iorjty vote to nominate. he
has no real claim upon the party sup
port; and, therefore, the guiding con.
vention is held in quite the old way.
The primary is then. in fact, super
seded, and the much-vauntcd liberty Of
choice by the voters is annulled. be
cause it is idle for a party man 10 vote
against the party convention 8 nomi
nee. To do so is merely to throw away
the vote. But with convention nomi
necs, the primary is superfluous. The
fact is, that the primary law, provid
ing simply for one primary election, is
of no value. The primary laws should,
in order 10 be effective. have con
tinuous ballotings. iust as conventions
do. until some ono gets the majority
of the party votes; and there should
be rs absolute prevention of the voting
of those of the opposing party AT the
primary as cffectual as in the party
conventions.
The auti-La Toilette feeling appears
to be in the majority in the Wisconsin
convention, and vet La Toilette IS
strength in that convention is very
great. IL cannot be ignored or over
ridden if the Republican party has
any expectation of success at the
polls. Wisconsin has from time To
time shown the undcniable evidences
of revolt against machine politics,
and the effort 80 fasten machine poll
tics upon the State by downing La Fol.
lette may not he n success that the
party can by any means boast OF. The
"insurgents and the "staIwarts >
cannot afford to split in Wisconsin. If
they do, the Republican party is bound
for defeat,
There can be no doubt but there is
very strong, vital force in the Re.
publican party in Wisconsin which sup
ports the 'finsurgentn idea. The Re
publicans there are earnest Republi
cans, Jealous for the party faith and
the party principles. They know that
the Republican party promised re-
vision Of the tariff which every
ono understood without expressing
it, to be revision downward
President Taft, himself, made that
very plain in his campaign speeches.
Revision downward was the kew
note of the campaign on this ques-
tion in his speeches. And there has
not been revision downward; there has
not been intelligent revision at aIl.
The trusts and combines have been so
fortified that they have been given
control of all of the markets, with the
result that they have put up prices
prohibitorv on our export trade in a
largo degree, turning ths balance of
trade which was so tremendously in
our favor into mere fraction of what
il was, compelling us to ship gold by
the hundred million ~ Europe and ne
gotiatc bonds aud securities 10 the
amount of upwards Of $300O00,000
more. to settle our yearly debt to
Europe. All this is agaiuet this coun-
try's prosperity. The people SEQ it;
they realize what is the matter, aud
they nro discontented. 1t is no time
for the so.callcd "regulars - to under
take to carry things with a nigh hand
before the people rs they have done,
very unwisely, in Congress. The con
tinuance of such n campaign rs that
is absolutely sure to result in disaster
in November next.
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''Be We clean as subject on which