Arizona republican., 1911-10-22
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, OCT. %. 1911
The Function of the Primary.

Judging from the inquiries which
reach this paper. there is some con-
fusion in the public mind as to tn,
scope and function of the primary
election which is to be held OF
uesday-especially with reference t
the advisory vote" for United State:
senators.
The primary election has nothing
TO do with the advisory vote That
vote will be in the general election
Of December u.
To state it all clearly the primary
election under our law serves two
purposes only: Cd To eliminate the
candidates in a party whom the
voters of that party do not want;
and, CD to place upon the party
ballot at the general election the
candidates that the voters do want
Take for example, the contest in
the democratic party for the senator
iaI offices Two United States SEN
ators are to be sent from Arizona,
and there are six democratic as
pirants The two aspirants who get
the highest number of votes in Tues
days primaries will become the
candidates of their party. and their
names only will be printed on the
ballots for the general election as
the democratic candidates for the
senate-the four other aspirants will
be eliminated by the result of the
primaries.
Then comes the general election on
December u, when state and county
officers will be elected. and the voters
will indicate their choice for United
States senators.
In the general election there will
be but two candidates of each party
for the senate-two republican candi-
dates, two democratic candidates, and
two socialist candidates.
OF these six representatives of
the three parties, the two who poll
the highest number of votes re-
spectively will have carried the state
as to the advisory vote, and the leg
islature will elect them.
Thus, it may easily happen that
one republican candidate and one
democratic candidate will each get
a plurality, making it the duty Of
the legislature. whatever its political
complexion may be, TO elect them
to the senate. 1t is conceivable that
of the two high" senatorial candi-
dates. one of the winners may be a
socialist and the other a democrat,
or one a republican and the other a
socialist.
But all this is to be determined
at the general election of December
Il. and not at the primary election
of October "A. The primary cleo
ton. it must be borne in mind. is an
contest. 1t will leave but
one republican candidate for COVER
nor and but one democratic candi-
date for the same office. and so on.
Carried to its logical conclusion, a
primary election should be more COM
pletsly an elimination contest than
it is under the present law, and the
first legislature ought to amend the
law in this particular. To make our
plain it is only necessary to
refer to the California law. In the
primaries at San Fran
cisco the other day. Rolph, one of
the candidates for mayor, received in
the primaries clear majority over
all other candidates. This entirely
eliminated the other candidates for
mayor Gncluding Mayor Mccarthy,
who was an aspirant for reelection
and in the city election which is to
follow the voters cannot legally vote
for anybody but ROlph. In other
words. Rolph is chosen already, and
the CITY election can do nothing but
confirm the choice of the voters as
in the primary election.
This plan makes it unnecessary for
a candidate to make two campaigns,
in the event that he is lucky enough
to get a majority of all the votes
cast for all the candidates of all the
parties. A second campaign is nee
essary only when a candidate gets
plurality. Getting a plurality only. he
must make a contest in the general
election.
one of the strongest objections to
the primary system in most of the