The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1910-08-06
bad Medicine for the Machine

LII over the state the interest that is being taken in the direct
"A primaries, this year operative for the first time in Nevada, has
4 = set the machine politicians a-guessing, and the Nixontes are
working harder than they ever foresaw they would have to work. The
fac. that the individual voter is really at last to have a chance to make
personal expression of who shall be nominated for state, county and
district offices is making a strong appeal to the voters, and there is n
doubt that the primary vote will be even fuller than the vote at the
last general election. The voters see that the stuffed" and fixed
convention is a thing of the past They know that the machine
has heretofore controlled the appointment of men to county and state
central committees in the main, that it has named convention dele
gates, and controlled sufficiently for its needs, their votes in IN
vention. The Democrats know that to a large extent the Republican
machine has in the past managed to have its own stool-pigeons pentt
fully scattered through the Democratic ranks.
While it is openly alleged that certain Democratic petitioners are
being groomed by the Republican machine, for the Forthcoming pn-
maries, the Democratic voters n not afraid on this score, as before
the time for voting arrives the rank and file will be pretty well IN
formed as to who's who; and when the Democratic voters have
spoken, the men who will carry their standard during the final cam
paign and election will be really the party's choice-the picked men
of the party.
Republican voters, also, welcome the primary method of selection
of candidates. Many of them are expressing disgust because OF the
|starchamber methods of the Republican machine, which, with It's
slate, is really trying to work convention methods in the primary, and
put up a $ candidates its own men, and not the men the Republican
rank and file want to represent and serve them, men upon whom there
are no leading strings, . to be jerked at will by the machine. AND
for this reason the books of the Democratic petitioners, in Esmeralda
county at least, ire seen to contain the names OF a good many mel
who have heretofore been stanch followers of the Republican pace
makers. The primary, however, affords them a real chance to think
and act for themselves, and they will do it.
In California, long the chattel of the Southern Pacific machine
the primary election law is also giving cause for a great battle, ana
indications are that the Espee machine will be rudely joted, II not
thrown from its track altogether. In California the primary law IS
the same result as in Nevada, as will be seen by the follow
ing from the San Francisco Call, which article in meaning might well
apply to the present situation in Nevada, merely substituting
Nixon for. Southern Pacifc':
The present great registration of voters, unprecedented
IN past campaigns, supplies full justification for the direct
primary law. In San Francisco the roll runs up close to s.,
OOO, IN Alameda county the total is in the neighborhood Of
10000, and from Sacramento and San joaquin equally graf
lfylng returns are received. In every county, as far as heard
from, there is an astonishing increase of the primary regisra-
ton.
What does it mean? 1t means that at length the people
begin to realize that the law gives them opportunity to take
part in the choice of their officials. For years, under the
convention system, they had realized that they were deprived
OF all effective voice in the business of the state government
Everything relating to the conduct Of affairs of the common
wealth was settled for them, without appeal, in the back
office of the Southern Pacific political bureau.
9 Now we see the old machine laundering and laundering
this way and that. The professional politicians whose dlSi
pEne used to be matter of boast, do not know today whether
they are afoot or ahorseback and they read defeat in the great
and unexampled figures of registration. The machine vote
will simply be swallowed and overwhelmed. 1t amounts to q
political revolution. Under the old plan a compact and well
disciplined vote of some 1000 or 1900 regulars was easily
able to swing a San Francisco primary election. The ma
chine strength in this city did not much exceed these figures
at any time, and under the convention system there was no
need that it should. Indeed, the policy was to make pro-
fessonal politics a sort of close corporation, so that there
would not be so many to take care OF, I" but now that there
is a prospect of at least $4,000 primary votes for Republican
candidates the outlook for the insignificant band of regulars
is gloomy and diScouraoiuO Tbo d,raa< nr:rnar los done it,