Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-06-22
Never Admired the Primaries.

! never ADMIRED me TEIf'd' iSSs
Somerville. Mass. June is, 1914.
Editor Kennebec Journal
l was interested in a peculiarly
personal way in your editorial leader
of Wednesday, at least in part of it.
refer to that portion where you as
sert that the Democratic candidate
for Governor was nominated at Mon
days primary election, not because
he had the best State wide support
but because his home vote in the
States metropolis gave him start
which other candidates were unable to
overcome. That is what l predicted
at the committee hearing on the
primary election bill when it was be-
fore the Legislature of 1911, and also
in a series of letters TO the press OF
Maine before the matter was finally
settled at referendum. l was at
that time accused of opposing popu-
lar government, which accusation was
way of lodging the issue, for my
argument was that the primary is not
popular government.
At the Maine primary election of
1912. there was no State wide or
Congressional district contest of a
nature to demonstrate this weakness
of the primary system. There were,
| however. some county and legislative
district contests which worked as l
| had predicted The man in the
/ largest town won.
Now we have seen Portland COM
/ ing forward for a nomination for the
governorship, and taking it. Under
| the primary law, Portland can repeat
that feat at almost any time that the
| Portland politicians of either party
desire to do So I ask whether it is
popular government that the city of
! Portland shall be able to dictate the
nominations for governor of the whole
| State. And, if Portland can dictate
the nominations for Governor, the
same city can dictate the nomina-
lions for United States senator when
the present incumbents retire.
1t will take man of far more than
ordinary craftsmanship power to
break that grip of Portland on the
Maine State government and United
States senatorshps. as long as the
present primary election law remains
/ in force
T was brought up on a Maine farm,
/ /
State legislature of the thinking
farmer, the men who sit down out oil
reach of the moving picture SHOWS
and mediate on the affairs of govern
ment( and who talk over the affalrs Oh
government in the Grange, the corner
grocery, or across the line fence Ihey
are the conservative balancing force
! in the Maine Legislature. Ihe
urinary election is a means of ellml-
mating them from the Legislature. IN
the legislative districts the man from
the biggest village is pretty sure TO
have something in particular that he
wants from the Legislature. Ihe
villagers live within half mile or
the polls, and their neighbor can get
them out. How is the man from
another town, with the farmer inter :
ests and general conservatism at MS
heart, going to get out the vote when
+ the majority of it is two miles or
more from the polls? If he starts out
cam paigning he cannot talk with as
MANY of his class in week as the
villager can of his near neighbors III
| half n day. The villager gets the
| nomination, and goes to the Leglsla-
i ture.
This same law governs the noml-
nations for county offices under the
urinary. 1t even worked to such an
/ extent in Cheshire county, New Hamp-
shire that the city of Keene, with
10000 of the 10000 people IN the
! county. had seven of the eight county
offices and only failed to have the
eighth because il had no candluate
for il. I have stated that the same
effect was found in the Maine
primaries in 1912 in regard to county
nominations though not in such ag-
gravated form as in that New Ramp
! shire county If somebody VIII tdhe
Mains TO pore over the figures or the
| 1914 Maine primary returns, 1t Will DC
amazing IL he finds that this con-
centration of officeholding in the
larger towns is not on the increase.
II also NAV be remarked that Port
land dictated the Democratic noml-
nation for first district congressman
on Monday and Bangor dictated the
Democratic nominations for Sea'e
+. auditor and fourth district congress
man.
| Well. I am entitled to such com
fort as belongs to a man who can
honestly say: II told you So
But that is not much comfort TO
man who loves his native State, ano'
as one of her lovers, hopes TO retoi
there, some time, to live.
Truly yours,
D. CRoMMETT CLARK.