The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-09-30
THE PRIMARY ELECTION LAW


Judge William r. Geddes, in his
correspondence to The Amboy Herald,
berates the primary election system.
He declares that ."these nominating
elections are becoming to be looked on
as rather an unnecessary burden on the
candidates, and on the people at large.
have taken pains during the last
week to get the sentiment of both
candidates and citizens who have not
been in the game to ascertain whether
the primary law is growing in favor
or not / find large sentiment
against it. Not that they denounce
the principle of a direct vote from the
people, but all are agreed that there
is need of having it much simplifed,
and made less burdensome.
ut now requires from six months
to year of campaigning to get through
one of these primaries and make
thorough canvass of the county and
none but men of leisure and with am
pie means can stand it. If the cam
paign could be made shorter in some
way. and some way devised to give
all an equal chance it would be bet
ter. | know that it is easily said
that there are no inequalities but
there are. Take, for INSTANCE, one
holding office who wishes TO seek re-
nomination. he dare not neglect his
public duties, and he i thus forced
to remain in seclusion part of the
time. | have had two or three of the
present ofliceholders explain to me
that this is a great handicap They
say that if they should devote all
their time to the campaign for few
weeks severe criticism would be heaped
on them. and they are obliged to
catch q little time, evenings, and 90
out between trains to other towns.
thereby making their campaign rather
superficial, and wholly satisfactory.
With sharp competition from men
who can campaign at will. it puts the
present incumbent at disadvantage
"Then the expense is heavy on ac-
count of the long time taken up with
the work of canvassing for votes, and
~ - chi ehC IliH WIFI IclSuIc anu
means at his command who can 90
out and do thorough job. Men who
are tied down to a business or profess
sion which needs close attention, no
matter what his qualifications are
cannot afford to make the race, and if
they do it is with a great handicap.
1t is becoming so that busy men, and
especially if they have not independ-
ent means, cannot afford to respond to
the call to hold office. This was not
so much so under the convention sys-
TEN, and / must say that from a
personal view of both systems for
years, I cannot help concluding that
the primary has brought no improved
results, either in quality of nominees,
or in better service.
"The primary is personal scramble
for favors, without any party machin-
cry to work with, wherein each candi-
date plans his own course and it RI.
suits in great deal of Legitimate
voting, because men in the minority
party, especially if the party is rather
weak and does not have a goodly sun
ply of candidates in such party, will
stultify themselves and defeat the
purpose of the law by allying them
selves with the dominant party for
the time being, often to nominate men
whom they think can be easily beaten
at the general election. 1t also re-
suits in much internecine strife in
parties, and among party papers al
so, which jeopardzes the party sue
cess afterward. Some may say that
this is a good thing to break up
party lines, but no one can point to
anv visible beneficial results from it.
ours is essentially a government of
parties, and we cannot escape it, and
the division of governmental respon-
sibility between parties has never re-
suited in any good when tried. 1t
were better to let one party or an
other take the whole responsibility
and these resentments and feuds got
ten up at the primary election in the
party often lead to divided RESPONSE
pility and, CONSEQUENTLY in nothing
-Ocus ills II iboui as l. near men OF
experience put it and some of our leg
islative wiseacres can do good SER
vice by seeking out way to preserve
the principles of direct vote without
these evils.'
Much truth is contained in the cor
resPondencey and if the legislature is
not possessed of sufficient courage to
repeal the law. certain amendments
should be made that will put stop
to much of the Legitimate voting
that is allowed to be done under the
present loose statute. What we want
IS an enactment that will prevent
democrats from participating so-efreelv
IN the republican primaries. That
large numbers of the opposing party
do engage III this pernicious prac-
tiee. there is no doubt and revery eff
fort should be made to prevent it., i