The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-05-05
PRIMARY OBJECTIONS.

4
! Returns from Massachusetts show
/ that the Republican vote cast at the
primaries there last Tuesday was IN
round numbers, 10000; the total
Democratic vote was but $4,000. This
compares with Republican vote Tor
Governor last year Of 206.'95, and
| Democratic vote Of 214,S97, and with
a Republican vote in 1908 of 265,066,
and a Democratic vote the same year
Of I55.543. That is, tho Republican
vote reached a fairly proportionate
figure compared with the total Repub-
licsn vote of the State; but the Demo
cratic vote fell to a fraction, being
much less than one.fourth of the Dem
ocratic vote of last year, and consul
erably less than onethird of the Dem
ocratic vote Of 1911. What is the
auswer7 Plainly the same as in other
eases whore the Democratic vote prac-
tically disappears TO swell the Rcpub-
lican vote. The Boston Traveller on
the day Of tho primary election men
toned edtorially report that many
Massachusetts Democrats were going
TO vote for Roosevelt, "iust for the
fun of it, They evidently did so.
" is astonishing, with all the ex'
citement and capvassing that was done
in massachusetts, by President Taft
aud Col. Roosevelt. that so small an
aggregate vote was cast. The total
vote Of Massachusetts, last year was
421 .692. In 1908 the total vote was
42l,509. And vet, with all of the ex-
citement attending the primary cam
paeu in Massachusetts,, the total vote
was only a little more than 100000, or
but little more than fifty per cent of
the total vote Of the State. This is
astonishing indeed, in view Of the ex'
fremo excitement of that campaign.
President Taft canvassed the State;
Col. Roosevelt did the same, and the
throngs that turned out to hear them
were counted by the tens of thou
sands: and yet the contest succeeded
in drawing out only about half Of the
vote Of the State. Surely, but little
advance in popular interest as to nom
nations is shown by the primary sys-
tenn over the caucus and convention
system as this latter has usually pre-,
vailed. One would have supposed from
the fierce accounts that came of the
excitement in Massachusetts, that
full vote would have been polled, but
the ridiculously small total of only
half a vote appears And the Demo
Gratis generally seem TO have voted for
Roosevelt. while Taft lost 10000 votes
because of the general circulation of a
ballot carrying nine names, whereas
but eight were to be voted for, and all
of them were Taft's, and all were
thrown out
Another feature of the primary sys-
TEN was shown in the recent primaries
in the State of Oregon, as we find
in some tables in the Oregonian. A
great fight was made in the Second
Representative district, where A. w,
Lafferty, the present Congressman, was
opposed because Of his breaks made in
too amorous letter-writing to girls in
Washington, But Lafferty is nominated
to succeed himself, although he re-
27.6SS cast, He received, that is to
say. lust about one-third Of the votes,
and vet be is the party nominee. In
the matter of a circuit Judge, the case
was even worse. There were seven
candidates, and the winner, who is the
nominee. got but 66ol votes out Of a
total of 20,207 cast, the successful man
getting Just about onc-third Of the to-
tai vote. In Multnomah county there
were nine candidates for sheriff, with
27.946 votes cast. The successful can
didate received only 56S2 votes, being
but little more than one.hfth Of the
total vote cast.
1T appears, therefore, that the pri-
maries do not bring out the vote; also,
that on National questions Democrats
vote by the tens of thousands for Re-
publican candidates, the Democratic
vote practically disappearing; and
further, that the primaries give for
nominees men who receive only from
one-hfth to onethird of the total vote
cast by their party. These are such
serious arraignments of the primary
system. that it would seem impossible
for reasonable party men to give in
their adherence to that system, for
parties cannot live under it.
ASSESSED VALUATIONS