The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-12-24
THE Greet PRIMARY

| " candidates ana that the caEdi-
| dates for the various Offices should
prepare the platform, that we are
naturally pleased at the steady pro
ggess hat is being made By the pri-
mary movement. \ recent splendid
/ article by Senator Robert N. L.
| Toilette relates to the proposed pres
| dential primary but exactly the
| same arguments apply to a state pri-
mary so that the article should be
read by every Vermont voter. The
! article Is as follows:
Mr. Wilson'S recommendation Tor
the nomination OF presidential candi-
| dates By direct vote strikes at> The
root Of great wrong. II govern
nent Is 10 be brought back 70 the
people il is quite as important to
make the Executive department
serve public interest as II IS to make.
the Legislative department seryepuh
| lie interest,
| After a struggle OF eighty years wo
nave finally achieved the election of
United States Senators by direct
VOC. The states win soon have pro
yided Tor the nomination, OF all Sen
atois and Representatives in Con
gress by the direct method. In the
end this viii make the viii OF the
people the law OF the land. ia; thc
hes, egisla;ion which the Wit OF man
can devise Will fail 70 give Us repre-
sentative government unless the avs
are executed In the same spirit in
which rlies are enacted.
Tie Sherman AnttTms; law pllc-
al III lie hands OF The Executive me
strongest. moss perfect weapon
which human ingenuity could forge
Tor the protection of the pubic
against the power and sordid greed
Of monopoly That weapon was per.
mittcd 20 rust IN its scabbard al
most unused While criminal conspifa.
cies against the free markets OF cur
country thriyed on every hand, made
bold by Executive Indifference or
openly encouraged by Executive
Sane ion
The sravest problems confronting
the american people today arc in no
smal parl he direct resul OF Exccu-
Tive allure Ia enforce the law pro-
hibitlng combinations in The form Of
trusts and conspliacies TO suppress
aud dos troy competition.
! up,n President Wilson falls tho
burden OF All ,nas his Immediate
predecessors IN ciiicc left behind
them As The result OF an EFFORT to
establish national prosperity through
the benign influence OF the Morsans,
the Fiarrimang ard the Biz business
| generally
| The power o. ;aesc men ana the
great combinations back of them
would NOT have been SO effective
with Presidents ana Cabinets in the
! past. IL there mad been no national
ccnyenticus suojcc. 20 their control.
! Through their heuchmen they
have managed the election OF nation
Al dclesates, selected national com.
mit;comen. manipulated the organiza
( ton CT national conventions, made
or modified platforms to their liking.
aud been close at hand when comb.
| nations were effected which set
tied the choice OF presidential candi.
dates.
But for tho magnincen. work OF
Bryan a. Baltimore. the las. Dcllo-
cratic convention would have aeen
dominated by their malign influence
and Wilson world never have bee.
nominated.
No man who witnessed that pro
t.ao,ed struggle, with Bryan casting
aside his chciishcd ambition and
fighting desperately from the fan Of
the sayol 10 break the powerful grlp
of the combined interests would
ever wish 10 see the hazard t.iod
again
And no men who Witnessed ne
laoccedings %. TIC Republican con
yention az Chicago. where fraud and
degoi. were alMcst evenly MATCHED,
and he precious rights OF seven nil
ioi Republicans s.crc trampicd an
dcs 700, in the mad strife between
TWO candidates who cared only (,
win personal victofy.-no man WI,
Witnessed thar cortos could ever
wish TO see another presidential
nomn&ting cou,,niion iu thu United
s~stes.
\, best nominating couvcn i.a Is
never . delibera'ivc body. lis work
is hurrsdly performed There S. no
timo for cilm. jadic.si determine.
ticn @, even The most vial matters.
High pressure and extreme teusion
marx al IT. Hoeeo iiuss. Personal
ara iaciiongl feeling run hlga. Dob
yates are cajoied and bad-crsC ano
manufactured enthusiasm IS over
rOady az the most critical luac;uc
! - s,ampedc tho ccavon;iou and wir
ir Jury OF excitement
The Storm center Of contCna.ug
p.c5udiee ana passion. a national con
vcn;ion. is the last place where rat
ionsi human bein-s would b. willing
20 Try Cut and decide any hnyor ant
question affees.ns personal o.
I rrlI.srft -it.ht. nf-ffh 81. 49,. ftf..