Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-06-18
A B GUMMINS, Iowa

ex-president. These speeches will give
the thousands In the galleries their op-
portunity for participation In the big
show, Demonstration" of shouts,
dag wavings and the like. in which the
enthusiasm is gagged by the number
Of minutes the din continues. have
become familiar in recent years. Aft
erward comes the nomination Of the
candidate for vice president, which Is
greeted with modified enthusiasm. for,
although three Republican vice presl.
dents have been elevated to the chief
magistracy by the death Of presidents,
comparatively little popular interest is
awakened 10 the choice of the man
who has second place on the ticket.
"And so home and to bed" as Mr.
Pepys would say. At any rate, after his
strenuous days In Chicago, that will
be the best place for the average dele.
gate
The "Thres P's" In This Campaign.
Most important Of the unusual fea.
lures OF the early stages Of the presi-
dentlal campaign Of 1912 has been the
preferential presidential primary. Agi.
tation for direct primaries as means
Of fOilIng the Vaccinations Of bosses
has been acute for several years, but
this is the tirst presidential contest in
which this device for ascertalning the
popular win has figured Even now
In spite of the attention they have at.
tracted, real preferential primaries for
the selection OF presidential candidates
are established by law IN only a small
minority of the states The trst stare
to enact presidential primary law
was Oregon IN 1910. The other states
which have adopted the innovation In
some form or another are California.
Illinois, Maryland. Massachusetts, Min
uesota, Nebraska. New Jersey, North
and South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Pennsylvania and Ohio have not pref
ereutlul primaries In the ordinary sense
Of the term They choose congress
district delegates TO the national con
vention by primary, but leave the eec.
tlon Of delegates at large TO state
convention. In accordance with old
usage,
Maine and Michigan have preferen
tiul primary laws, but they were not
operative IN this years campaign
voluntary" presidential primaries are
In vogue IN several states, Including
Kansas, Georgia. Florida aud Rhode
Island. In all the stutes the agitation
tor the new system was led by the sup
porters Of Roosevelt ana Wilson.
North Dakota Brand Of Primary.
In North Dakota no restrictions are
imposed upon legal voters, ANY man
may express his preference without re.
gard to bis party affiliations at the last
election The North Dakota law re.
qulres the delegates to take an oath
to vote In exact accordance with their
Instructions This means that they
cannot shift their vote from La Fol
lette. TO whom they are pledged 10
any other candidate whose name may
come before the convention. nor could
they under the terms OF The law vote
to make unanimous the vote for any
other candidate, even though all the
other delegates should so vote This
provision, however Is OF little prac
tical effect since the delegates, II they
ignored it, would be amenuble to no
punishment under the penal code and
since, II they were held to have com
mitted an ofense, II would come uu
der the Jurisdiction OF Illinois and not
Of North Dakota
The Illinois primary. which played
90 important part In the successes Of
Colonel Roosevelt. was the result OF
the passage OF an emergency bill slgn
ed by Governor Deneen on a slckbed
late IN March. Under lts provisions
the vote Of each congress district n