Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-11-13
AN ANALYSIS OF new
SOUTH DAKOTA PR
MARY ELECTION LAW
BY r. o. RICHARDS.

tiOiA lOI PIluCiplCS dUOV0 VSTSOUdi ALI.
bition for Office, and to Illustrate the
usual combination of individuals, who
merely desire to control the govern
ment to perpetuate themselves In pow
er without developing equity. This Is
done by having two sets of principles
for party platforms proposed by open
representation within each party
before the primary election, and sub.
mitted to the party voters for their
choice, upon the same primary ballot,
with h candidates, and thus nomi-
nate o party platform and candidates
at the same time by secret ballot and
majority rule. The purpose of this
Is to furnish a free, safe. competitive,
legal %initiatory method of organiza-
ton OF the party at each primary cleo
ton to make the party responsive to
the will of the majority OF it's members.
This will also preclude the necessity
OF organizing new parties, or having
more than two political parties, to
forward principles for new public
policies, because, under this method,
new public policies may be tried out
under the old party names and thus
preserve the majority rule within the
party electorate, as we'll as the gem
eral electorate.
The intention Of The law is that un-
3er@ordinary circumstances the office
shall seek the man through open in
itiatory representative committee pro-
posals.
The law only provides for two such
proposals, within each party, one mi.
nority n m majority proposal.
The theory Of this is that the people,
by representation, will thereby have
q voice in the first selection of the
factional candidate, which under the
old primary law, or under the pro-
posed Coffey primary law, could only
at best be selected privately by the
politicians in factional mass confer
ences. The principle Of the present
primary law contemplates two fac
tons within e:ee party, otherwise
there would be no choice for which to
vote.
Lineup of the candidates on the
primary ballot for a principle is OBJ
viously necessary to carry the party
for a given public policy. Otherwise
progress is arrested and the primary
election simply becomes an unseem-
Ing, expensive, personal squabble OF In.
dependent candidates for office.
Independent candidates., under the
present law, who have no real mes.
sage to the people ant. cannot receive
a place or the minority or majority
proposal, will brand themselves as
mere office seekers, as compared with
the candidates proposed by represen-
tation in the minority or the majority
column in a lineup for a principle.
Yet IL the minority or the majority
representation ignores the best man.
or a man with a real message of truth
to forward evolution in state govern
ment, he may properly file in the in
dependent column by petition and can
win; but under ordinary circumstances
1t Is fair to assum that, except for
judicial purposes, the Independent
column on the primary ballot will be
dead, the same as or the general elec-
ton ballot. The old primary law in
theory contemplated that every can
Isdidate should run Independent OF
every other candidate; but In practice
factions were formed, and the selec.
tons of the factiOnal candidates were
made by a few politicians. without rep.
resentation, by holding a secret
derby-hat-primary. These secretly
made-up states were put out under
%sublabels, such as Progressive and
9Stalwart,p rendering the party in
twain into sub-parties. the effect o1
this was to split the party into labeled
Factions between whom such bitter
feeling was engendered that the party
success at the polls was endangered
In fact the strife between Progressive
~ S1nH q M rryn ~ II ,r,n IA vpIy1rn 5 hik ko,.8%b 4, -
ever existed between Republican an1
entire futility OF independent candi
dacy. In the three primary election:
held under the old law, not a single
candidate for state Office was nomi
mated whose candidacy had not beer
approved by the non-representative
self-cOnstituted machine OF or thu
other of these factions.
The results OF the old primary Law
we're SO unsatisfactory both to the in
dependent candidate, as we'll as to tn,
public, as to not be insisted upon an.
further by the thinking people as
practical nominating method. undei
the present primary law, there will b,
no fixed factional labels within tn,
party; because as the minority be
comes the majority, Its name and pc
sition on the primary ballot is auto
matically transferred, from one fac
ton to- the other, 90 one defeats til,
other. thereby creating q safe. legal
progressive nominating system.
n considering the present prima-.
law,it must be borne In mind that TIL;
primary election ID but . party cleo
ton, Or an organization election