Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1914-02-18
DIRECT PRIMARY DISCUSSION
CONTINUED FROM PAGE TW
For Convention.

trates the burden of the expense
of making nominations in a few
candidates, the convention scatters
it among large number of dele
gates who were each able and will
ing to stand the small expense re-
quisite to attend hte convention.
No law can be framed which will |
adequately limit the expenditures Of
candidates. Everyone knows that
the active candidate begins work
years before the actual campaign and
if he has abundant money to spend |
in thus early advancing his candi-
dacy he will spend it. Moreovt
there are many indirect ways of
spending money which in states hav-
ing the primary it has been found
impossible to reach by publicity
laws.
Not only is the expense Of candid
acy increased but the expense to the
state is doubled by virtue of the
fact that a second election is held.
IN some of the states where direct
primaries are in force the states
pay for publicity pamphlet advertis-
ing the merits of the different can
didates and in others of the direct
primary states there is an agitation
for this so-called reform.
The party convention must be re-
tanned to frame the party platform.
The platform should not be framed
by the nominees of the party as
thus they would be given all the
power Of the party and having been
nominated the party can have no re-
dress if the platform fails to ex-
press its principles. The people shoul
instruct the candidates, not vice
versa.
1here has been a strong tend
ency in states having direct primary
TOR tie party managers to submit
d complete slate at the primary and
ization to nominate it in it's en-
tire ty. This practice common in
certain states makes the nomination
Of q candidate objectionable to the
party organization a practical impos-
sibility as he would have to build
up an organization in every district
throughout the state to stand
| chance against the firmly entrenched
| party machine.
The following important elements
OF party success can be considered in
making q well balanced ticket at a
convention but not at a direct prim-
airy; geographical distribution of the
candidates; their nationality, their
social standing; the class represent
! ed; the commercial, industrial and
agricultural interests, ETC., that they
/ SjtIid IOI, the SIlduG VI pOllIlCdI 1QGdS
entertained.
| : The delegates to the convention,
| being the prominent citizens of the
community are likely to have been
members of the legislature and thus
to have become acquainted with the
candidates for the minor offices
who in reality conduct most Of the
| business Of the state and regarding
whom the ordinary voter would have
no knowledge.
The process Of deliberation and
debate in a convention secures an
attention to all the circumstances
that a primary cannot obtain. I'm
der a primary system Seward not
Lincoln, would have been nominated
in 1850. Lincoln is a typical product
of the convention system.
The well-known man regardless OF
what he is noted for has an advant-
age in the race for the nomination
over one better qualified but less
generally known. It is notoriety
| and not worth that counts under
'the direct primary
The people are compelled to de.
pend almost entirely on what the
newspapers say about the candidate!
while under the convention system
the peoples representative at the
convention meet the candidates anC
can form their own judgments o.
them.
Willingness on the part Of ade
quate men to serve the public il
+ office is rare enough at best, an6
, willingness on the part of adequate
) men to undergo one prOtracted ant
necessarily expensive campaign o
personalities for the right to under
go another protracted and expensive
campaign for the right to serve tn
public in office is more than can b
, expected normally except from thos
at once very rich and very patri
otto -f .e-t..,.
The primary makes possible tn
+ choice of a candidate by a small
faction of the party decidedly il
7 the minority. If there are six candi
, dates, and the vote is somewhat ever
ly divided it is possible that tn
a highest candidate may receive no
more than II per cent Of the tota
, vote cast. There is not sufficien
, guarantee that the successful candi
date really commands sufficient gen
, eral support in the party to warran
o his choice as a representative. An
, second choice system is too compli
= Gated to receive the consideration Q
" rra ctical men.
The direct primary increases tn
O power VI the large IOWnS at the GX
= pense of the small towns. At a nom
ination by direct vote of the peopl
the vote for Chittenden County woul
f be practically dominated by Bun
: lington and Winooski and Washing
ton County by Barre and Montpelie
- and a similar domination by tn
= large towns would be the resu
~ throughout the state. The vote i
Essex county would be more tina
balanced by the vote Of either Der
=, nington, Brattleboro or st. johns
, bury.
= No plan is honest that permits
- Democratic to participate in a Repul
~ lican caucus, whose nominee he h
% no intention of supporting or til
~ reverse. And if you do not hay
- such a plan you must have one wher
10 by the voter declares in advance h
~ political allegiance, and having dor
~ this he has lost his independence !:
:. a voter.
- The direct primary, through doir
- away with the party convention ar