The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-10-24

elections held II THIS state ana such
. Tri1la1y elections should % held Tor
an parties IN the counties on the
same day. There should Be no pri-i
mary permitted BY this STATE which
Is not regulated By statute and con-
troIled BY law
Two years later the subject Of az
rect primaries was forcibly pre-
scented to the Legislature OF 1897
by Governor WIN. u. o. Dawson. IN
his biennial message, transmitted TO
the legislature on January II.
1897, Governor Dawson spoke with
the voice OF prophecy when he said:
Dawson AdvOcates Primary.
The sentiment OF the people IS in
favor OF primary elections. With
that sentiment I fully agree. While
admitting It is not a perfect method
and not without objection, yet it Is
the fafrest, freest and best. / com
mend you to the passage Of a law
that viii require every political
party so to chose its nominees: that
the election be held at public exc
pense. by on1cers chosen and sworn
under the law; that it be held on
one day at every polling place in che
state and that every safeguard pos
sible be thrown around it so as to
make it free from fraud, coFrup-
ton and other evils. not only
should all nominees to be elected by
the people be chosen, but candidates
for Senators OF the United States
should be selected In the same man
ner. There are many reasons why
! senatorial nominees should be SO
selected. AS it is now, in every cleo
ton of our members OF the Legisla-
ture, members OF one or both
branches are nominated and sup
ported with principle reference to
their preference among announced
candidates for Senator. II candi-
date for senator is a man OF large
means he is able to assist IN the
nomination and election OF his
friends and the men SO assisted
feel bound to vote for the candidate
/! who so assisted them. Thus. it often
happens that the man who has the
most money is chosen Senator re
gardless often OF his fitness by rea-
son OF ability or training for this
great Office. That this is a serious
public wrong goes without saying.
If candidates for senator were cho-
sen in the manner here advocated II
would remove much OF the wrong
full use Of money by rich candidates
wo6Id make Senator'S more careful
II nublfc sentiment, would enable
(. the people to select men to serve in
the Legislature with reference to-
their fitness for that purpose alone
ana would save much valuable time
in the sessions OF our legislature
Governor Dawson repeated his rec
Recommendation of 1907 to the Legs
lature Of 1909. and in 1911, Govern
or WIN. r. Glasscock, in his first BIZ
ennial message to the Legislature
announced unequivocaIly his belief
that the people of the state were de-
handing the right to make tnelR
own nominations and upon this
question he held there was no d.
viso1 of sentiment among the rank
and 6Ie Of the two dominant parties.
In strong language Governor Glass
cock commended the consideration
Of a direct primary election law to
ltbe regular session OF the legislature
OF 1911. IN his first biennial mes
sage to the legislature, Governor
Glasscock said:
GIasscock Recommends Primary
.sIf there is one subject on which
there is practically no division OF
opinion among the people OF this
state it is on a primary election
law. Men of all parties, and in All
walks of life, realize that our pres
emf methods OF making nominations
are unsatisfactory, to say the very
least and this sentiment has been
rejected in the platform declara-
tions Of both the leading parties Oh
This state in every convention that
has been held for the last severaA
years political parties, as rule
take advantage OF the popularity OF
y,npopularity OF any question by de-
cIaring in favor or against 1t When
onnortunity offers. have never
known a party inspired with any
+ona ~ success =: the polls to de-
c,aro in favor OF any proposition
1vbicb it believed would not meet
1v;+b npb1ic approval or against any
&, Ravor If which any /