The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1913-11-07
AN ANALYSIS OF new
SOUTH DAKOTA PR|-
MARY ELECTION LAW
BY r. O. RICHARDS.


The purpose of the present South
Dakota primary election law, as par
ty law, is to place open legal organiZa-
ton for principles above personal am
bItlon for office, and to Arustrate the
usual combination of individuals, who
merely desire to control the govern
meEt 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 the candidates, and thus nomi-
nate party platform and candidates
at the same time by secret ballot and
majority rule. The purpose of this
IS TO furnish free, safe, competitive,
regal lnitiatOry method of organiZa-
tlon OF the party at each primary elec-
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 well as the gen.
eral electorate.
The intention of the law is that un-
der 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 and one majority proposal.
The theory OF this Is that the people,
by representation. will thereby have
a 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.
tions within each party. otherwise
there would be no choice for which to
vote.
Lineup of the candidates on the
primary ballot for . principle IL OBJ.
viously necessary TO carry the party
for a given public policy. Otherwise
progress is arrested and the primary
election simply sbscemss IN unsesm-
ing, expensive. personal 1quGDbls'Of ~
dependent candidates for once.
independent candidates. under tho
present law, who have no real mes.
sage to the people and cannot receive
a place on the minority or majority
proposal. will brand themselves ~
mere office seekers, a. compared with
the candidates proposed by rapresen.
tation in the minority or the majority
column in q lineup for Q principle.
Yet II the majority or the majority
representation ignores the best man.
or = man with real measage Of truth
to forward evolution In state govern
ment, he may properly ale In the In
dependent column By petition and can
win: but under ordinary circumstances
It is fair to assume that. except for
judicial purposes. the Independent
column on the primary ballot will be
dead, the same % on the general eiec-
tion ballot. The old primary law ir
theory contemplated that every can.
didate should run Independent OF
every other candidate; but In practice
factions were formed, and the selec-
tions of the factional candidates were
made by few politicians. without rep
resentation. by holding secret
derby-hat-primary. These secretly
made-up states were put out under
sub-labels, such as Progressive" and
"Stalwart," rendering the party in
twain into sub-parties. The effect OF
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
and Stalwart was more bitter than
ever existed between Republican and
Democrat Another result was the
entire futility of independent candi-
dacy. In the three primary elections
held under the old law. not single
candidate for state office was nOmi-
mated whose candidacy had not been
approved by the non-representatiye,
self-constituted machine Of one or the
other OF these factions.
The results OF the old primary law
were SO unsatisfactory both to the in
dependent candidate, as well as to the
public, as to not be insisted upon any
further by the thinking people as
practical nominating method. Under
the present primary law, there will be
no fixed factional labels within the
party; because as the minority be-
comes the majority, its name and po
sition on the primary ballot is auto
matically transferred, from one fac
tion to the other. as one defeats the
other, thereby creating a safe, legal.
progressive nominating system.
In considering the present primary
law. it must be borne in mind that tn
primary election is but a party cleo
ton. or an organization election,
where each political party does busl-
ness for itself to prepare its own plat
form and candidates for the fall cleo
ton The primary election is there
fore purely several separate party cleo
tions held on the same date. at the
same time and place, and it is intend
ed that the voters in one party should
have no voice in the primary of any
other party. Considered broadly along
these lines, the law will not be found
complicated or incomprehensible. but