The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-08-25
HOW THE PRIMARY WORKS.

They have in Massachusetts, system
Of direct primaries, which is supposed
to be the best modelled and theoretl"
caIly the most perfect in operation of
any that has been adopted by any State
in the Union And yet, that system
is denounced by the Boston Herald,
which is an independent paper not
specially devoted to any party, but
free-spoken and outspoken. 1t declares
that the system of direct nominations
prevailing in Massachusetts, has been
enforced long enough to disclose certain
elemental weakness. 1t affirms that
nominations are more cut-and-drled
than ever before; that candidates are
named long In advance Of the pri-
maries, and that conventions we're
never so inelastic and unyielding as
now, Nominations are limited strictly
to men who "seek the office There
is no chance to make compromise or
strategic nomination or political move
Of any kind. There is no possible
chance, under this system, of calling
to the front any man generally recog'
nized as the best man for the place, as
against the cut-and-dried pro-
gramme. The poor man has been abso.
lutely eliminated He not only dares not
run against a man of wealth, but 1t
would be absolutely useless for him to
undertake to run, for the very opening
OF the contest "means vast expendi-
ture Of money
Again, the campaigns have been great
ly heightened. Political activity used
to begin in the fall, now it begins in
the summer and sometimes even In the
spring, in preparation for the primaries
and the succeeding election. The re-
suit is that there is practically con
tinuous uproar on politics. All this is
distinctly Objectionable, and is caus-
ing the people more and more discon-
tent and more and more does it invite
the average man to keep out of politics
altogether and even to refrain from
voting.
The Herald insists that the people of
Massa achusetts ought to recognize that
they have made n mistake; that they
CdIiltu q GoOi bh'hE W. LOS hh'i 'ifN
it is time to put into effect the high
est generalship of "a mastery re-
treat 1t urges that the people should
continue TO elect their delegates to the
conventions by primaries, but there the
primaries should stop. 4 convention
should be held by the delegates chosen
at the primaries and these conventions
should be delibcrativc bodies, not
bound TO nominate candidates merely
because they desire TO be nominated,
but free 10 make compromises aud call
in new men. The conventions should
he party councils, wherein the good of
the party should be the first considera-
ton. and all nominations should he
made after fair discussion.
In all this we believe that the Bos-
ton Herald is exactly right. To eN-
tend the primary system TO making the
absolute nominations is 10 hamper and
not TO Eberatc II serves the purposes
Of the machine, III place of freeing the
people from the machine. II paDders
10 wealth and eliminates the candidacy
Of the poor man. II promotes cut-and-
dried politics in place of eliminating
the same. and il is enormously helpful
to the self-pushing candidate who has
money and is willing to use il to uu-
limited amounts for his own selfish
ambitions.
There is no question in the world
bat tina, these objections are so plain,
so broad, and so controlling, that they
must eliminate the widespread primary
for the purpose OF nominations. The
convention is the Only safeguard, tho
only method of party protection. and
the perpetustion of party life.