The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1912-09-05
PRONOUMCEs It 4 FAILURE
AND IS NOT 4 NECESSITY
DECLARES IT IS NOT RESULT OF
POPULAR DEMAND, BUT oP.
POSITE IS TRUE.
Latest Test of Law, a Few Weeks Ago,
Proved ConclusiveIy That II Does
Not Aid People to Rule, AZ Its
Friends Maintain.

Attorney General D. c. McDougall
Idaho has had as good an opportunit,
perhaps, as any man in the state t
observe the workings or the failure t
work Of the state primary electio
law. He speaks freely In the follow
ing article in regard to it's defect.
calling attention to some very objec
tionable features that are often over
looked. The article, though long,
given in full, and perusual of it |
sufficient to convince any voter tina
1t should be subjected to good dea
of fixing:
The direct primary law as it ha
worked out in Idaho politics has pro
ven failure. There never was any
need for 1t in this state and no popu
lar demand until 1t was created upor
a fictitious state Of facts.
1t is generally supposed that the
direct primary is for the purpose OF
taking political control of party oul
Of the hands of bosses. There never
were any bosses in the common ac-
ceptation of the word in Idaho poll
tics and 1t Is the writer's impression
that none will be able to assume that
position and hold it for any consider
able length of time. 1t is true that all
political parties have leaders upon
whom the rank and file depend largely
in shaping their politics and so long
as these leaders are able to retain the
confidence of the people, and lead in
the direction in which they desier to be
led, they are able to maintain their
supremacy and no longer.
1t is not strange that people RELY
upon leader in politics any more
than they do in business or in other
affairs In the ordinary business
transactions of community in which
the community has an interest, the
general and only satisfactory way is
an assembling of the masses who APP
point a committee to work out the de-
tails of the matter at hand and under
consideration and in nearly every in
stance the conclusions Of this commit
tee are accepted and acted upon as
being for the best interests of the
community
The man who is the successful lead
err Of political party may be, and
often is, called the boss by those who
belong to different party or to some
factor of tho CANA p,rtxy Dat L., 49,
sense in which the term boss" is
generally used, as being an individ-
ual who owns and controls the party
machinery, such one has never ex-
listed In my opinion in this state.
Therefore, there was no need Of direct
primary in order to overrun bosses.
AS a matter of fact, it will be re-
membered that at the last republican
nominating convention ever held in the |
state, which was held in Boise in Aug
ust, 1908. that when The delegates ar-
rived 1t was asce' tanned that a COM
tination or slate had been prepared
from congressman down. Tnis state
was considered by great many of The
delegates who had not been consul ed
as being cast iron and unb, eakat,e.
and in fact several prominen ca Il
dates whose names were on The slate
so expressed Il to delegates from out
side coun,'cs. TIE delegates, how
ever, who had not been consulte in
It's construction when they all goi to-
gether, ascertaine" that they Wer, in |,
the majority and I vas by a decisive
vote that The slaie was broken i, a 8
number Of places. thus demonstre ing q
that the leaders OF this party were an II
able to dictate or control the &C ION r
)f the delegates IN convention. 10
At this convention plank was in g
reduced and sought to be inserted IN n
he platform pledging the party to en- I
lct direct primary law, and after 1,
considerable discussion the plank was v
elected The prominent leaders of r,
he party who had prepared the slate n
nd were much astonished at its be- n
ng broken, began an earnest agitation In
. abolish the convention system in II,
avor OF the direct primary. lie
The only justification that has ever n
cen seriously put forth as a reason IL
'r the direct primary is that it per- w
Its the people to select their own w
omtnees and to use what has been M
'ined In popular expression Let the &C
sopIe rule" The primary just closed a,
Is demonstrated that under This sys- ar
m the people do not rule. kr
Taking the total vote for congress- wi
an last election as a basis and add sh
8 10 per cent for increase the an Inn
oximate vote of the state today is II
900 votes. Out of this there was sy
st at the primary election just clos i'd
for governor .50,276 votes. or this rel
. nominee on the republican ticket tn,
,eived 1887 votes, which is equal lin
1873 per cent and the nominee on
, democratic ticket received 1884 !lay
tes, which is equal to 1874 per cent Mi
the total value Of the state. Thus ct,
far as the people ruling and by their pri
&c saying who shall be the next tbs
'ernor Of the state this primary de- ella