The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-01-12
PRIMARY NO BAR
TOTHE BARREL I"


WISCONSIN BUREAU OF LABOR
ANALYZEs WORKING EFFECT
or ELECTION LAW.
Madison, Wis, Jan. 12.--What has
been the effect Of the direct primary
upon voters, parties, party machines,
esnd dates, newspapers and public ser.
vice corporations?
What amendments to, the present
primary law in Wisconsin are sener.
ally desired7
What proportion Of the voters at.
tend the primary
To what extent do members of one
party vote in the primaries Of other
parties7
To what extent have nominees been
the choice of majority Of the party
selecting thsm2
What has been the influence of the
alphabet in determining nominations
DO cities have a disproportionate
influence under the direct primary
system?
What has been the attitude of the
voters toward independent candidates
at election?
The foregoing questions are taken up
and answered in a report of the Wis
consin bureau Of labor and industrial
statistics now in press. Some Of these
questions can be answered from sta
tistics; others cannot. AS far as pos
sible, the questions have been answered
by ANALYSIS of the primary election re-
turns Of September, 1908.
The following facts are fairly well
established in this pamphlet:
The direct primary brings the voters
and representatives closer together.
The excessive use of money in cam
paigns while not caus ed by the pri-
mary system has certainly not been
cured by it and IL is on all hands
agreed that some chec.s is JsoIutely
essential.
There has been a confusion of party
lines, and il has not thus far been
possible to prevent nm from partici-
pating in the primaries of parties
which they do not entirely support at
the general election. This may in
small part be due to the discreditabIe
purpose of undermining a party by
helping to nominate a weak candidate,
but 1t is apparently more often due
to the independence of electors.
Bosses Not Eliminated.
The direct primary has not destroyed
party bosses and machines, but it has
caused readjustments that seem to
have left the bosses with less auto
cratic power.
There has been no preceptible
change in the character of nominees,
but they are now more responsible, and
are chosen less arbitrarily.
The contest of candidates for sheriffs
brought out more votes than that for
United States senator; and those for
register of deeds more than that for
governor, showing that conspicuous Of
fees do not necessarily enlist the great.
est interest on the part of the voters.
More important factors in stimulat-
ing interest are close contests, and the
rivalries and chains of friendships
which grow out of personal acquaint-
anceship.
Popular in Dominant Party.
More than half of the voters at the
general election voted for sheriff in.
the preceding primaries while 40 per.
maries for candidates for attorney. gen
eral, an office for which there were
no important contests
The republican vote at the primary
was nearly sc per cent of the repub-
lican vote at the general election,
showing that the primary a matter
of keen popular interest in the domi-
nant party, and of elatively little in
tereS,t of others. Tie primary brought
out between a fifth and fourth of the
democratic strength; a sixth of the
prohibition strength; and not quite a
seventh of the social democratic
strength.
In the republican party there were
$50 nominations for county offices out
of a possible 56S. In only 264 of these
cases were there any contest and there
were only 101 cases. or 1873 per cent
Of the whole, in which the nominee
failed to receive a majority vote. The
proportion of failures to receive a ma
jority vote as republican candidate for
the assembly was about the same.
independents Lose.
Independent candidates at the gen.
eral election have little prospect of de-
I6dUnE IN party nominees
The cities are not extensively rep
resented either in votes or in influence
under primary system.
N. D. Schools Will Contest for Cup
Grand Forks, N. D., Jan. 12-with
II Of the strongest high schools in the
state entered and others probably COM
ing. the debating contest for the Her
aid cup promises to be warmly con-
tested one this winter. The various
schools will be paired of in the most
convenient fashion and the winners
will be paired of again, The whole
number win I'm this way be worked
down to two schools and the debate