The Bad River news. [volume] (Philip, Stanley County, S.D.) 19??-1912, 1912-01-04
CONzETTS CRITICISM ANSWERED
Open Letter From r. 0. Rich
ards on an Objection to the
Initiated Primary Bill

huron, =. H., lIec. Il: MF.
James Conzett, Deadwood, S. d.,
Dear Sir: Someone has sent me q
copy of an article which you have
again written against the adoption
of the proposed primary law in
this state in the Dcadwood Tele-
gram, contending that a primary
election, or larty election, should
according to your judgment be an
indiscriminate independent elec-
tion. 1t is very evident that you
do not realize that a primary elec-
tion is a party election or organ
ization election, and is not a gen.
eral election or all independent
election. 1t deals with organiza-
ton matters pertaining to the af-
fairs of each political organization.
Political parties are, primarily,
supposed to be organizations for
principles, and if an elector be-
lieves in a principle that is being
advocated by either the minority
or majority proposals within any
party, he had better join that Or
ganization if he wants to help that
principle and be a party man. If
he does not believe in organization
for principle, but is simply an in.
dependent candidate chaser look
ing for disorganizers, l have pro-
vided the independent column for
him; if this does not suit him, it
would seem that he has no busi-
ness in party politics. He can do
his work at the general election.
If any party law should fail to
provide for enrolment so as to not
create clear-cu division, we
would ultimately have the same
conditions prevail here as is now
the case in France and Germany,
resulting in a large number of
minority parties which break up
the general electorate into so many
divisions, of party electorates, that
it becomes easy for the minority
to rule the majority.
AS thinking man, you ought
to grasp the idea of the proposed
primary law, that it means two
parties nationally, ultimately:
which again will be divided into
two representative minority and
majority proposals within each
party in each state to give full
vent to organization for principle
for public welfare by a majority
from among it's own members.
This method will create an alter
mating process between the minor
ity and majority as one defeats the
other within each party, so that
only two parties will be necessary
to create adequate competition to
forward rational and speedy evo-
luton in science of government.
1t ought to be plain to you that
we can not have more than one
division within any given faction
or party and obtain majority re-
suit; nor can we have more than
one division and have the minor
ity as we'll as the majority side
represented. There is always two
sides to every public question, and
both sides are entitled to be square.
ly represented on the primary
ballot.
This is government by parties
and majorities and not by indie
pendents and disorder. Anyone
who desires to renegade between
two or three parties in the pri.
maries when he can run or vote
independently at the general elec-
tion, is not a party man but dis.
organizer, and his views necessari
ly would be more or less along
that line in framing thoughts for q
party law. Instead of being for 9
practical legal method of organiza
tion for principle to develop science
in government, are you not trying
your best to disorganize principle
by advocating independent cleo
tions. The moral is: As princi