Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-08-08

share toward advancing these
measures to fulillment, and can
properly take a good part of the
credit for their success.
1t is fortunate, however, that in
this so-called progressive platform
the only measures distinctly and
definitely recommended are the
measures which are already, for
the most part, achieved.
The next plank in the Demo-
cratic platform declares for presi-
Dental primaries in the election of
delegates to the national cOnven-
ton.
This plank is inadequate and I'M
progressive. 1t is worse than worth
less, since it merely pretends to
offer a solution. Its suggestion is
not solution
1t proposes a remedy which will
not remedy the conditions that the
people object to; yet offers the
stone Of pretense instead of the
bread of performance
The uselessness of presidential
primaries followed by a convention
in which the delegates may defy
the expressed will of the people
has been shown by the convention
at Baltimore.
A vast majority of delegates
elected by presidential primaries to
that convention were elected to
vote for Champ Clark and instruct
ed to vote for Champ Clark.
But Mr.. Bryan, like many other
delegates in that convention, re-
pudiated his instructions, denied
the right of the people to express
their choice through presidential
primaries, assumed a superior right
for himself and not only refused to
vote for Champ Clark, but did his
worst to defeat Champ Clark, the
choice of the people of his state
and his district
There will be other delegates to
other conventions as disCreditabe
as Mr. Bryan, with as little moral
ity and as little sense of right and
Other delegates elected by presi-
Dental primaries, perhaps follow
ing Mr. Bryan's leadership and cit
ing Mr. Bryan's example. will re-
fuse to accept the instructions of
their constituents, will refuse to
vote according to the expressed will
of the people in presidential pri-
maries and will take it upon them
selves to defeat the will of the peo-
pie and to vote according to the
will of the corporations expressed
in a more material form.
For a presidential primary to be
effective there must be no conven-
ton, no delegates with so much
power and so little character as to
fail to carry out the popular will.
The next president must be nom
mated by direct primaries without
any convention and without any
delegated power to INSCRIPTIONS
and unreliable representatives.
The next president must be nom
mated by direct primaries, and the
man who gets the greatest number
of votes according to the electoral
vote of the state must be the nomi-
nee of the party.
When the Democratic convention
failed to declare in favor of such a
just and genuine direct primary it
failed conspicuously to be progress
sive or even to be Democratic.
The next plank of the Demo-
cratic platform relates to campaign
contributions The plank pledges
the Democratic party to the enact
ment of a law prohibiting any cor
porations from contributing to a
campaign fund. The only obiec-
tion to such laws is their mad
equaCy.
As a matter of fact, neither this
proposition nor the following one.
where any individual is prohibited
from contributing an amount above
a reasonable maximum, is of any
particular value.
If an individual desires to CON
tribute a large sum he can always
do ii through various other indi-
Viduals. and the benefiCiaries of
special legislation can always man
age to return COurtesies by liberal
campaign contributions in spite of
restrictions of this kind.
The only method of preventing
corruption in elections is not to try
to limit contributions, but actually
to limit expenditures.
What is needed is a law which
will allow expenditures for Iitera-
ture. speeches and other means of
informing the people, which will
allow expenditures for any legiti-
mate appeal to the intelligence and
conscience of the public, but which
will not allow any other eXpendi-
ture whatsoever. and which will
define any other expenditure as
bribery and punish it as such
When we have law of that kind
we shall have clean elections.
There will be no objection to
spending money if it is spent mere
ly for the information of the voters,
but there will be no need for any
great expenditure of money on such
a basis
If any other expenditure of
money is made, the individual so
eNpending it or causing it to be eX-
pended can be arrested and i'm
prisoned as a briher and deprived
of his seat if elected to office
Serious nations like England,
who really desire to prevent the
use of money CorTuptly in politics.
have such laws and have destroyed
corruption in politics through them.