The weekly Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1911-1922, 1912-04-11
THE BIG LESSON.

THE BIG LESSON.
1t will do no good for the Roose-
Welt supporters In Indiana to fuss
about their defeat at the state con-
vention and In the Thirteenth
district. 1t will do no good for
individuals to swear they will never
vote for Taft if he is nominated.
The results obtained by the Taft
forces in this state were to have been
expected beforehand. They were
made possible by the faulty political
machinery under which we have
been working. The big lesson for
Indiana, coming out of this pre-
liminary contest for delegates to
the national convention, is this:
Indiana must have a thoroughly
good primary law under which our
citizens can express themselves
freely in cases of this kind. We
must have a law under which the
people can express their preferences
directly, without trusting to the
doubtful action of delegates.
If any state ever learned a les
son on anything, Indiana certain
" has on this point. There IS no
doubt as to what the outcome OF
the vote In the state as whole for
delegates would have been, and
there is no doubt as to how the
Thirteenth district would have
gone, if the people could have ex-
pressed themselves directly for
presidential nominees. Roosevelt
would have had good majority in
the former, and a big majority In
the latter case.
The clearest illustration of the
power of patronage and of politi-
cal machine has been illustrated
right before the eyes of the voters
of the state. If they do not now
get busy and compel the legislature
to enact good primary law, they
may expect this same thing to be
repeated just as often as they try
to get what those in power do not
want them to have.
To fight successfully the powers
against which the Roosevelt people
went in the contest just closing, il
would be necessary to have a ma
jority of delegates much larger thar
thew were able to get. This is true
because the powers of patronage arr
always able to change a certain
number of delegates always
able to make certain weak dele
gates betray the confidence placed
In them and 60 over to the sup
port of those who hold the patron
age.
This was so In the state conven
ton. 1t was so in the district con
vention. In each case it gave vie
tory to those who held the power
of patronage. The Roosevelt PEG
pie should have counted on this be
forehand; they should have expect
ed to lose a certain per cent. o
their delegates. They should no
be sore because they lost them.
What they should now work t
do is to get a primary law unde
which the people can have a jus
expression of their wishes in tn
selection of candidates.
Both Taft supporters and Roose
Welt supporters are disguised wit
the way conventions have been cor
Quoted in this contest. On bot
sides there have been done thing
which ought not to have been don,
Men on both sides are human.
1t will do no good to get ma
about it, because just as long a
the present system CONTINUES, th
same thing will be repeated by on
side or the other in every like cor
test.
The thing to do is for both side
Taft men and Roosevelt men-a
republicans-to fall to and get
good primary law which will q
away with all this political chical
cry and give the people fair shoy
The bosses will object, Of cours
but they always do object to an,
thing which gives the people mol
power of control In such matter
The bosses will have to be brushe
aside, or scared so badly that the
do Lot dare to oppose such Law
One of the first things to I
placed in the State Republican pla
form this year is the demand for
thoroughly good primary law, whit
will prevent all of the wrongs {
the present system as well as tho'
of a poorly made primary statute