Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-11-10
BEST WAY TO SELECT NOMINEE
FOR PRESIDENT.
NOW A LAW IN FIVE STATES
Popular Selection of Candidates Is
Most important to Good
Government.

dodge the presidential primary.
When they meet in this city next
month, they will be unable to tell the
country that the proposal is SO now
that its consideration must be post
poned until such time as they have had
an opportunity to look into it.
Senator Jonathan Bourne, of Oregon,
is making it his personal business to
make each and every member of the
committee acquainted with the neces-
sity of a presidential primary. IT,
when the Committee meets here in
December, it refuses to recommend
presidential primary, it will be because
it has deliberately decided to refuse to
allow the Republican voters of this
| country to exercise the right of choos-
ing their leader in 1912.
Members of the National Committee
will find it difficult matter to answer
the logic Of the presidential primary as
presented to them in a letter recently
sent to them by Senator Bourne That
letter is self-explanatory. 1t follows:
''My Dear Sir:-In the near future
the Republican National Committee of
which you are a member, will meet to
issue a call for the next Republican
National Convention at which candi-
dates for President and President
will be nominated In behalf of that
large majority of Republicans who be-
lieve in direct primaries, / earnestly
request you to insist that when the
call is issued, it shall contain a strong
recommendation that in all states
wherever practicable. the state COM
mittees call presidential primaries at
least thirty days prior to the Republi-
can National Convention thus giving
every member of the party an oppor-
tunity to express his preference for
party candidates for President and
Vice President.
''This system of direct vote for can
didates has already been established in
five states, having been first adopted
in Oregon in 1910 by the enactment of
my presidential preference bill. | en-
close herewith copy of the Oregon
law which has been followed in sub
stance in laws since enacted in Nebras-
ka, N. Dakota, New Jersey and Wis
consin. Where that law has not been
enacted and where state laws do not
prevent, popular vote can be had in
primaries if state committees so direct,
and believe they will so order il re-
quested by the National Committee.
II urge this action upon you because
| believe it is right in principle, ex-
pedient as a party measure and benefi-
cial to the industrial welfare of the ma
ton. 1t is right in principle because
the members of the party are entitled
to an effective voice in the selection of
candidates they are expected to sup
port for election. 1t is expedient as a
party measure, for no candidate could
go before the country with stronger
argument than that he had been select
ed by direct vote of the members of
his party and not by convention dom
mated by operators of steam roller
Is it wise to jeopardize the election on
the assumption that the party elector-
ate will subsequently support can
didate nominated by steam roller
methods?
popular selection of candidates for
President and Vice-President would
mean saving of hundreds of millions
of dollars now wasted through indus
trial inactivity due to the unsettling
of conditions incident to every presi-
Dental campaign Under presidential
primaries the party electorate would
select for their nominees the individ
uals possessing the confidence of the
greatest number and the general cleo
torate would select the man in whom
they had the greatest confidence.
Confidence in our Government is pre-
requisite to full business efficiency.
"Assurredly this plan as a nation
wide presidential primary should re-
ceive the cordial Endorsement of every
man who contemplates being a can
didate for the nomination. No man
could consider himself a presidential
possibility if he questioned the ability
of the people to express an honest and
intelligent choice among men who