The farmer and mechanic., 1914-06-23

eouiSt, = tnat Il primary rivalry IN a |
close county would breed trouble in |
the Democratic party. il would breed !
trouble III the Republican party also |
unless the Republican voters have |
more sense and neighborllness than
the Democrats which We won't admit
and the two troubles would offset
each other.
this primary-will-cau - feeling
objection. Is that among men worth
whlle-men who know their rights
and knowing dare maintain't-a party
Is not in one half as much danger from
fair and open contests settled by the
people themselves as il is from a feel
ing that clique or smaller group OF
party leaders is saying who shall hold
the Offices and control the govern
ment.
Old Nathaniel Macon used TO say
The tempest of democracy is better
than the calm of despotiSm," and this
is certainly true as regards any party
worthy the suffrages of the people |
have seen-and | leave it TO the reader
| if he has not Seen-ten times more
party diSafecuOn caused by a feeling
! that few men were running things
| than | have ever seen caused by the
| hottest struggles between opposing
| candidates fairly and squarely fought
| out and settled by the great body of
| people themselves. Put this up TO
the man who says he fears trouble for
| his party If we get the primary.
| Nine times out of ten the party" who
| will be hurt is the gentleman himself
We should have in North Carolina
a thoroughly modern, general primary
| law for all offices, applying to pri-
| marieS all the provisions of our pres
| ent law against corrupt practices in
| elections. But if the Legislature is to
| permit the representatives from any
| n ha in, air
county shall not have the right. as
people in other counties have. to NOM
| mate their county officers. let the peo-
pie settle the matter with these leg
iSlatOrS.
In any case all members of the Leg
islature, being in fact State officers
rather than local officers. should as
suredly be chosen by direct primary
The party platform has declared that
the people have a right to demand that
our State officers, the men who gov
ern our State, shall be primary
{ chosen; and if this is a correct prin-
cipIes, then the first need is for the
, men who make the States laws to be
2 so chosen.
Why Have a Primary For All Offices
The Same Day?
And the people must watch out
, too, for the division of the primar!
into sections-"the three bites at
> cherry scheme. If the people mus
; go to the primaries, two, three. o
| four times in order to nominate full
| set of candidates, the natural reSul
n is that the men who have persona
e interests go while the great body O
I voters refuse to take the trouble, an
e as a consequence whatever little grou
a of gentlemen have been relieving tn
e people of the trouble of running thei
r eWn affairs continue to do SO.
l. faP nj
in the writer's home county this yea
r there has been one primary to ele(
q delegates to the county convention
IS another to nominate candidates 70
l. the Legislature; and there is to be "
: another to nominate county officers
three separate primaries to finish tn
: job Of naming candidates in one cour
n ty. What more natural result tha
e. that in the first primary, which Wa
e. held for nothing but to nominal
le delegates to the county convention, s
" few people attended in the writer
l. precinct that a typewriter list, pre-
f. pared and predestined by few il
y dustrioSs gentlemen, went throug
Sc for county delegates; then in tt
IS county a rule was adopted that on
,e men elected county delegates woul
is be elected State delegates; and the
st in the State Convention a unit rule
ar was adopted to prevent the minori
ct from expressing itself? Which
ir more likely to- promote party loyal
n and harmony policy like tn
a. (Which is as much of the old CONVEX
O. ton plan as can survive under ne
is forms) or the other policy: lega
IN lied primary for all Offices and q
il parties the same day SO that all IL
is people would come out, do their dut
ne and be done with it?
ly We must beware lest we get a pr
ct mary law having the form of demo
racy but denying the power thereof
en- Tax Thrift and Industry Less, T.
Il earned Wealth More.
ng The second imperative need in Nor
es Carolina is a better system of tax
It ton. To this end the Constitution
at Amendment authorizing the Legisl
ng ture to adopt taxation reforms oug
at to be adopted, and the people shou
demand that more Of the burdens
'es taxation be put upon unearned veal
IL notably MISUNDERSTANDING corr
e- spondingly relief to the hard-w
'le earnings of industry and labor. 1t is
cir crying shame that the State Of Nor
ey Carolina last year collected four tim
1lS as much from a tax on the poor maj
Vi kerosene oil as it collected from
ho in ia of q