The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-08
Press Comment

Pembina Pioneer Express: Again
we have had a trial OF the primary
law, with a dismal failure as to its
fulfillment of it's original purposes.
The only intelligent vote cast by the
electors was that for president and in
many cases the democrats voted the
republican ticket in order to carry the
state for LaFoIlette. In order to vote
for electors and for delegates to the
conventions 1t was necessary for the
voter to take a previously printed list
with him into the polling booth.
While The Pioneer Express has al
ways doubted the efficiency even of
the design of the primary law, to cure
political evils, itaems to be the po-
litical fad Of the present day and If it
is to be, it should be at least fairly
correct in methods,
AS this paper has long age pointed
out the primary law as it is at present
instituted fails in it's purposes because
in order to make it feasible the whole
method, the whole system of politics,
must be entirely changed.
AS it stands it is an attempt to
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basic system. To some extent al least
it is an attempt to graft the English
methods on the American system and
is about as successful as If the at
tempt had been made to graft apples
on an oak or pine.
Just now the assessor will be around
and after assessing a mans property
he will then produce a blank form of
AFFIDAVIT and ask each mar TO swear
that he is either a republican or a
democrat, or neither, or both, as the
case may be. While such requirement
Is Of very doubtful constitutiOnality,
yet it is the most arrant nonsense in
itself, and the elector might well re-
tort, A right but first show me a law
that defines parties and their meets
and bounds" Certainly no man can
swear to his party Affiliations accord
ing to law without first knowing what
the state means by party"
The whole system of American suf-
frage is built up on the basic idea of
the secret ballot. The whole system
of the methods of the primary law so
far evolved are to make a man declare
his party afiliations. The present as
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that a voter must not change his poll
tics at least from April to June. 1t also
assumes that unless a mRn does not
affiliate with some party now that he
shall not be able to affiliate with some
party two or three months from now at
the primary. 1t also a no provision
by which a man who is, say, a republic
can in April and June MAN. not vote
a democratic or split ticket in Novem-
Der.
All these absurdities arise largely
from one thing, that the people who
have been pushing the primary busi-
ness have begun at the top instead OF
the bottom.
If the state Is to recognize parties as
a component part of the government
(for which there is no warrant In oui
constitution) the very first procedure
should be to make a legal definition OF
a party and then define its status to
the government. Then it W0uD also
necessarily have to pass laws combining
the right OF suffrage to persons Whc
have afaliated with the parties as de-
fined by law and we think this would
almost certainly limit the number cl
parties to two. as in England where
the broad definition IL. that m Of ths
parties is for the government and thu
other against the government.
But we repeat, 1t 10 absurd to ask
voter to swear that he is a Republican
ar a democrat. when the state itseli
can't tell him which he is, after hear.
ing his principles.
We undoubtedly have been a gov.
eminent BY party, but after 100 years
of experience, now we want govern
ment of party, and that's a far harder
problem.