The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1910-11-28
SENATOR EATON'S
Trinity
oPPoR-

Senator w. " Eaton has recog-
nized one of the most significant
factors in political life today-the
lack of confidence manifested by
voters in parties and public men-in
advocating the popular primary as a
step toward unhorsing the bosses
and placing party control in the
hands of the people. With the ex-
perience and prestige he gained at
the last session of the legislature,
he should be able to accomplish
much good for the commonwealth at
the next session.
We believe that under the present
legislative system, with all the work
done in committees away from the
eyes of the public, a legislator can
be of most use by mapping out a
program of what he wishes to accom-
plish at the session-and that re-
duced to the minimum-and
sticking to that, regardless Of all
other considerations. Time was
when each legislator was judged at
home by the spoils he brought to his
constituents in the way OF Offices and
public expenditures; and each man
went there. as congressman go to a
tariff revision, determined to get
something for his "deestriet." Thus
the state was despoiled, taxes made
grievous and burdensome, lobbyists
given free rein to graft and bride, and
iniquituous laws enacted, and bene-
fioial ones smothered in committees.
We believe that kind of represen-
tative is out of date. The state is
no longer a rich prize that goes to
the winners of the election, to be
divided between legislative districts.
The erstwhile beneficiaries of the
spoils system have been made to pay
dearly for their own folly. Ken
lucky is calling for statesmen to read
just her taxes and school system, her
prisons and reform schools, her
method of political control, her high
ways and every other avenue of
public enterprise.
The New Nationalism. IL IL has
done nothing else, has pointed to the
fact that the several states require
the attention of statesmen as much
as the federal government, and the
people are looking to the latter for
protection, because the states have
utterly failed in those functions.
which the constitution reserved to
them. Surely Kentucky offers all
the opportunity statesman could |
desire for the exercise of his talents |
We cannot say We approve the
idea of assessing candidates for the |
expense of the primary. The advan-
tage of the primary to the people is
worth what it costs, and If the pri-
mary law is properly drawn, the tax
payers will save through it in the
conduct Of public affairs more than
II will cost them in taxes.
We probably go beyond Senator
Eaton in our theory of the popular |
primary. We judge from his inter
view that he would maintain party |
lines in the primary vote. We would |
eliminate them, and for this reason: |
at present. while the good citizens
are divided between the parties, the
Interests, which benefit selfshly |
through political manipulation, know /
no party utilization. and by throwing
their united influence one way or
the other, become the actual balance
of power. With a popular primary
in which the Australian system is
used with the names of candidates of
all parties on one ballot. the good
citizens could throw their united
and secret influence on the right side
of whichever party fight at the time
present the most important moral
issue, and thus become the balance
of power We say this, though we
admit that II would be to the advan-
tage OF the dominant party. IL has
been worked out in the western states
and in the Wisconsin
primaries, for instance, the most re-