The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1911-04-25

May ought TO pass a primary election
law, said former CONGRESSMAN
Joseph IA. Gaines in discussing the
! primary question. There are three
principal reasons which bring me 10
TINS conclusion" continued the tall
congressman.
- irs;- As far as the Republican
mem per- OF the legislature are concern
81. me Republican party promiseJ A. ~
its platform aud I befieve in kaer,,p ~.
parry promises. The Democratic partv
nlaue the same promise. but 1 express
iTair sis,n, as 10 either their duty or
second The people OF the state are
- determined TO have such a
NV whether 10 is better 10 make our
honlnstions under n primary law or nv
~, 'o ot"rt system is a question OF poll
s,..,,,i - 20 eA NJ, In such case II
i'--Hlature 10 give at the earliest posSi-
uit moment intelligent expression to the
-, h,lHs VII by Che enactment OF the
are able 20 draft.
/ .'.hird In most OF the principal com
Ies the primary system las been adonf-
'd without waiting for "A law / an,
;, AZ ohihs Tor mild language when / saw
la IL Is hardly probable that a Jri-
LslN 't'cion law would work any con-
siderable harm by supplanting the nri-
mary systems already In vogue As an
..lIs l1Hi proposition have always IRE
IttI'i the convention system with the
precinct mot the county or the districtp
as ihS unit Of selection in the first in.
S'an'e. have not. however known thar
system 20 De used anywhere since / va
,..ai' man OF the Fayette county commit
I t'e more than fifteen years al;1. Now
o Yen state conventions are dom mated by
WI" owe their selection to
more or less creditable primary elect ions
!" Tie large Counties. Since. therefore.
We must be practically under the fri-
mar! system l think IL ought to be re,.-
"5i.@ed. supervised and controlled as t.
us times and methods by law"
The above three reasons. Congress
man Gaines says. bring him to the
conclusion that a primary election
law ought to be enacted. and he be
lieNos the Republican party ought to
90 its part in placing such a law on
the statute books.
Complaint Of Political Methods.
li seems 10 me that most OF tho
complaint current about political
methods has been Of the action of
political committees said the con.
greSSmon in discussing further the
conclusion he had come to in the
matter some Of this complaint has
been justified. but much Of it has
been wholly unjust. would like 20
see the legislature draft a primary
election law embOdying in il nv
theory OF the precinct rs the basis OF
political committees. II ] were
member o. the legislature should
drait and vote for the enactment of 4
section OF the bill which should PRO
vide that our political committees
should be selected some time in the
month o. April before every cam
paign with which they would have
amy thing 90 do. There would seem TO
re no good reason why political com
miueemcn should not 20 back TO the
people just like members OF the
l'riS'"'ur" for q new clcGtiOn IL they
wished 20 continue. This plan would
certainly do away with any complaint
thar political committees pcruetuatc
them selves iu the MANAGEMENT of the
party. would have tho people meet
in mass conventions ia their several
precincts every TWO wears on some
crr iu April 20 be DESIGNATED by law.
10 select q member OF the county
committee FOR that precinct. This
would give them time 10 or-anize on
another prescribed 10y law in ample
tm' to perform al functions OF
committee in connection with uomina-
TONS and elections duriu- that cam
IIi-u. Then ii the people continued
uiffc'wCn whose actions thcv did
t1i lhc. they would have n0hod, to-
blame hut themselves Voters could
no-t their committee Loyalty and
arc"u'y without feeling that they
""rr cID'hue them with power 10
dominate nominations 100 succeeding
years.
A. io tie manner Of selecting dele.
rat's and thc size OF tlc precinct
COR FRESHMAN Gaines said. The divi-
% fha