The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-06-09
ABOLISH THE PRIMARY

/
ABOLISH THE PRIMARY.
Representative newspapers through |
out the state, without regard to party, |
are outspoken in opposition to the pri- |
mary arrangement and are a unit in
demanding that the Law providing for
1t be amended or repealed. The prin
cipal objections urged are that it is
expensive, cumbersome and does not
express the preferences of majority
of the voters. A typical utterance on
the subject is that of the Fort Madi-
son Democrat, which says that If all
voters or good majority Of them
would vote at primary elections such
elections would be good thing, but SO
far in. Iowa they have amounted to
but very little. In the recent primary
about the only thing of real import
ance resulting In the state way was
the decision for Kenyon over Young
for United States senator on the Re
| publican side-and left to the next
| legislature Republicans the Democrat
| believes the result would have been
the same In all human probability. AS
! between the candidates for governor,
On both tickets, 1t was immaterial who
4 were nominated-there was no great
i peoples CALI for any one of them on
either side-but all good men. And SO
on, clear down the line. The Demo-
GRAFT goes On to say:
1T was the same way regarding
county candidates in Lee county Re-
suits we're, SO far as can be judged,
substantially the same as If nomina-
tons had been made under the old
system-and a county convention is
called upon to settle one nomination
at that.
4 Looking up one side and down the
other. the primaries in Iowa have not
Justified the expense so far. The time
may come when they will, but it Is
mot yet here. Speaking of the expense:
/ There was one precinct In this county
where only q votes were cast out
of a possible 400 and the expense was
the same as though all had voted ex-
cept that less time was used to cam
vass the ballots, 1t being considerably
over dollar head for those who
voted there
(. The Democrat thinks that If the
date of the primaries was changed to
the latter part of August or the first
of September the vote would be much
heavier and the campaign long
enough. 1t calls on the legisra-
ture to give the Iowa primary system
a thorough overhauling and simplify
it as much as possible, or abandon it.
The Keosauqua Republican records
that comparatively few of those who
voted In Iowa for the nomination OF
candidates last Monday are in favor
OF the primary election law and
adds:
This sentiment applies to members
of all parties. 1t is one OF those re-
form nuisance measures that is being
condemned more and more as 1t is
tried. But it is a political tester that
is hard to eradicate from the body
polite. Legislators almost unanimous
" disapprove of 1t but seem afraid
to unite In a movement for it's repeal"
The extraordinary length of the bal
, lot. and so many offices being aspired
: to By only one candidate or none at
all 4ltdAS NHe Nbb3uE tbIpiiCdAfu dIiu
, tedious. The Burlington Hawk-Eye
quotes business man OF that city as
saying very aptly:
Yes. voted. but experienced
great perplexity in doing so. found
long ballot before me containing
, names Of men don't knox. and had
. no way OF ascertaining for whom
should vote. And ! do not know now
for whom ! voted for some OF the Of
, fees And there we're some blanks
) for names 10 be written in for which
: no nominations had been filed. just
skipped those; didn't know what
+ else to do
. No doubt there were many othel
instances of ike character. Where
e fore the Waterloo Reporter is moved
10 say:
1T is the fault Of the system. TIL.
!. ballot is bulky and cumbersome. ant
the process Of voting is tedious
!, Large numbers Of voters are SO thor
]. oughiy ont OF humor with 1t that the,
!, do not 20 near tho primary polls.
+ III the state wide primary Is Il
\ stand the legislature will have TO sim
pify its application and devise som
/. method Of shortening the ballot. Ais
In making II less expensive for tn,
! ordinary citizen TO aspire for office