The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-05-07

cratic primary, while under the ne"
system men and women Of all polit'
cal shades and complexion apparently
take the primary as preliminary
farce for the purpose of balling the
thing up as much as possible. The
Salt Lake Tribune comments on the
situation very reasonably as follows:
Returns from Massachusetts show
| that the Republican vote cast at the
primaries there last Tuesday was in
| round numbers, 10000; the total
Democratic vote was but $4,000. This
compares with Republican vote for
Governor last year of 206,795, and
democratic vote of 214,S97, and with
Republican vote in 1908 OF 265,966,
and Democratic vote the same year
of l55,543. That is, the Republican
vote reached fairly proportionate
igure compared with the total Repub.
lican vote of the State; but the Demo.
CrCtic vote fell to fraction, being
much less than one.fourth of the Dem.
CciEtic vote of last year, and consid
erably less than one.third of the Dem.
Jcratic vote of 1911. What - the
eui wer? Plainly the same as in other
cases where the Democratic vote ptuc.
tICally disappears to swell the Repub.
lican vote. The Boston Traveller on
the DAY of the primary election men
tened editorially a report that many
Massachusetts democrats were going
% vote for Roosevelt Just for the
fun of it." They evidently did So.
1t is astonishing, with all the ex.
element and canvassing that was
done in Massachusetts by President
Taft and Col Roosevelt, that so
small an aggregate vote was cast
The total vote of Massachusetts, last
year was 42l ,692. In 1908 the total
vote was 42l, 500. And yet, with all
the excitement attending the pri
mary campaign in Massachusetts,, the
total vote was only a little more
than fifty per cent of the total vote
OF the State. This is astonishing in.
deed, in view of the extreme excite.
ment of that campaign. President
Taft canvassed the State; Col. Roose.
welt did the same, and the throngs
that turned out to hear them were
counted by the tens of thousands;
and yet the contest succeeded in
drawing out only about half of the
vote OF the State. Surely, but little
advance in popular interest as to
nominations Is shown by the primary
system over the caucus and 'conven.
ton system as this latter has usually
prevailed. One would have .ssippos.
ed from the fierce accounts that came
of the excitement in Massachusetts
that full vote would have been poll.
ed, but the ridiculously small total
Of only half vote appears. And the
Democrats generally seem to have
voted for Roosevelt, while Taft lost
10000 votes because of the general
circulation of a ballot carrying nine
names, whereas but eight We're to be
voted for, and all of them were Taft's.
and all were thrown out.
Another feature OF the primary sys.
TEN was shown in the recent primar.
les in the State OF Oregon, as we find
in some tables in the Oregonian. A
great fight was made in the Second
Representative district, where A. w
I.afferty, the present Congressman
was opposed because of his breaks
made in too amorous letter-writing {
girls in Washington. But Lafferty /!
nominated to succeed himself, al
though he received but $3.50 votes GU
of total of % ,6SS. He received, tina
} is to say, just about one-thrd of tn,
, votes, and yet he is the party nom
inee. In the matter of Circui
? judge, the case was even worse. Their
| were seven candidates, and the win
. ner, who is the nominee, got bu
/ 669l votes out of a total of 20,20
e cast, the successful man getting JUS
e about one-third of the total vote.
y Multnomah county there were min
d candidates for sheriff, with 27,94
5 votes cast. The successful candidat
0 received only 56s2 votes, being br
e little more than one.fifth of the tot
a. vote cast.
n 1t appears, therefore, that the pr
y maries do not bring on, the vote; ais
lie that on National questions emocra
lie vote by the tens of thousands for r
is publican candidates, the democrat