The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-05-04
A PERIL TO THE PARTY.

y sentiment current in the country, that
% there is danger to the success of the
/" Republican party in the personal and
, vituperstive campaign which Col
Roosevelt forced into the present sit
uation. President Taft remained silent
under the Roosevelt assaults as long as
human nature could be expected to do,
: and then. in order to defend himself
: effectively he was obliged to expose
the treacbery. falsehood, and double
dealing of Roosevelt.
An opinion has been expressed from
time TO time during the progress oil
this unfortunate controversial personal
turn to the campaign that the develop
ments were furnishing political ammu-
milton for the Democrats. and that it
was being furnished in such form that
it could not he denied by the Repub
licans and in such quantity as TO form
ample material for Democratic use.
There is no doubt about this and there
is no doubt, further, of the fact that
it is the preferential primary system
that gives rise TO this result.
The primary system is undoubtedly
well calculated to tear down parties
and to advance personal interests TO
the front. II compels the candidates
to 90 before the people and fight not
for the principles Of their party be
cause among Republicans these prin-
ciples are supposed to be held alike by
all candidates. The point of differ
ence then between Republican candi.
dates or Democratic candidates is
chiefly personal and the warmer the
canvass gets the more damaging are
the personalities and recriminations
that are injected into the fight. 1t was
the opportunity of his life for Col.
Roosevelt to build up a personal fol
lowing at the expense of the Repub
! lican party, and especially at the cx
pense of President Taft He ayailcd
himself of this opportunity with the
utmost recklessness. and assailed the
President and prominent Republicans
who were standing by the President,
with n venom and vindictivepess that
had never been known before within
the ranks OF any party. Col. Roose
velt has directed none OF his attacks
against the Democrats. His quarrel
was exclusively with Republicans, and
this was so principally because he had
TO appesl TO the Republicans for votes
as against Republicans, and not as
against Democrats.
The primary system. therefore, is a
party w1ecker. II was urged as a
means whereby the people could de.
clare their preferences on principle, on
public measures. and upon their desires
with respect to public questions. II
turns out to be nothing Of the kind,
but fosterer OF caumny, vitupera
ton. and abuse. and all this within the
psrjy, not as against the common foe.
but as against the solidarity Of the
party itself, and against the party
leaders The attacks of Col. Roosevelt
illustrate this inevitable phase of the
primary system most pertinently. He
has had practically nothing to say on
partv principles. aud very little on
party measures. He has avoided the
tariff altogether. he has PLAYED fast
and loose with the trusts. and has en-
.deayored to convince the people that
he was against all combinations OF cap
itsl. while. in fact, availiug himself of
the help of the greatest combination of
all.
Putting the matter concretely and
conciselv. it can fairly be said Of tho
primary system that it is system we'll
calculated to allow demagoeues to air
their opinions and present their claims
irresponsblv and without any regard
10 truth, party principle. or past
friendships. Everything has been sac
rihced to mere personal ambition
The craving Of Col. Roosevelt for the
Presidential Office has. been the great
feature Of the campaign, and to allow
himself such opportunity as is possible
for success he has permitted no point
to escape him, has presented every
possible plea that he thought would
help his personal canvass, regardless
of the welfare of the party or of the
dominance Of the party's principles
and ideals. He has dragged the great
record of the Republican party into
the dust, and has spit upon it. His
campaign has been vigorous. il is true.
but vigorous only in his own interests,
and in the attacks which he has made
upon the President and other leaders
of the Republican party.
The same general tendency of the
preferential primary system has been
manifest in other campaigns through
out the country. They have all taken
on truculent personal phase that is
hurtful to the party and DANA gine to
its prospects and success This evil
effect OF the primary system, coupled
with the further undoubtcd fact that
Democrats have very largely partici-
dated in the Republican primaries
throughout the country, ought to be
enough to convince the party leaders