The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-05-17
CURRENT COMMENT
Encouraging.

Al It's first trial the direct presidential primary
law gave mighty good account OF hseh
Some careless observers will count II point
against the new law that the Democratic machlne
In Baltimore city was enabled to win out with
the candidate whora IT supported ahtN torset
that the question of the merit or deherlt or any
political mef sure must always be q relative one
The worth Of primary law can only be demon
SRA ted BY comparing It with its alternative
Never in the history of Maryland within m
memory the present generation mas the poilti~
cal machine of either party failed to dictate the
states choice OF presidential candidate. 1tsH
after wear under the old system, the Republican
machine dictated the choice of the delegates sent
to the Republican national convention and the
Democratic machine dictated the choice 1T the
delegates to the Democratic convention Such
thing the people getting into the game ana
/ choosing their own delegates never entered the
! head of the widest enthusiast.
Yet Yesterday at the very first trial of the
tiifeettoting law the machine of one party ia
/ smashed into smithereens.
And the machine of the ether party, although
it was wise enough To get back Of a candidate
who has shown surprising strength In other sec
tions OF the eoantrN who is an experienced post-
tician himself and had all uf the socaed ''prac-
tleaE9 men OF the CITY back Of him, yet meets
with q more than respectable opposttion-~an OPP
position strong enough 10 carry ten eleven
If the twentr-threc counties of the State in 81
triangular fight. lined up behind 4 college
fessor.
We not discussing tho relative merits OF
either Mr., Roosevelt and Mr. Taft. on the one
hand. or Mr. Clark and Mr.. Wilson. the other
N saving this: We are only calling attention to
/ the somewhat remarkable effect of the direct
primary law. on it's first trial. before the people
/ ~ the Stale have become trained by experience
t" participate In fun force IN primary elections,
and while the law itself is aclSnov, ledgedly de-
tective in respects
of those defects the most patent we should
say. Is the that has brought about n sit,la-
lion here somewhat similar -tiat-rit4,- ttrvrt~
oped in Massachusetts. where the preferential
vote went one way and the delegates another
/ from the present returns II looks az If the Taft
/ deegat"s VIII be in control Of the State con-
Nehtioh. although the popular vote and the in
sfucttons viii be- for Roosevelt. This il a situa-
ton that should not be allowed TO occur; for.
thhatelN II Is due to provision in the law that
4 can easily be corrected,
me total vote in neither the Democratic nor
the Republican primary large as II might
people get the habit ON the other hand II was
nor uhpleasantly small by any means The
democratic vote only about 5000 Less than
/ II was in the German Lee primary when two
very abe and influential politicians were per-
sohaliy interested In getting every vote they
cnuld, The Republican vote was about the sam.
that II was in the spring primary last year For
a Hrst attempt, this doing pretty weuTh
people or Maryland have been trained far en-
many YEARS to believe that IL Is useless to come
out at primary election that all in all n Is
rather amazing that many OF them took the
trouble Yesterday. Gradually the proportion of
those who vote in the primary elections az nh
sorts Will p" Increased the people come Ia mr..
derstand that 1t II no longer a futile thing
/ Ana one OF The chief things TO. imprasS Than,
WIN ulaf truth will hc Yesterdays result IT.
thlhh thar on its very first trial one Of the hig
poiitlcai machines of the citv and State should
nave been beaten! Let MS thank God ANA takn
courage baltimore Evening sun