Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-07-10
With the Editors
PRIMARY PRINCIPLE AND
OAAer.,.e

PRIMARY PRINCIPLE AND
PRACTICE.
One state after another, hearth.
approving OF the direct primary IL
principles, tires OF it in practice AMI
looks about for ! SIMPLER and NOR,
workable substitute. The state,
tried 1t earliest and II most extreme
form are the first to weary of it.
Oregon, which has gone farthest il
nomination and legislation by thu
people in nearly continuous election
is tired Of interminable voting. The
plan now Is to substitute for all this
one election upon nominations BY
petition, In the pohe that the prefer
entail voting Of choices will somehow
restore majority rule.
In North Dakota there is dissatis'
faction after ten years of direct pri.
mary, but the public knows what il
doesn't want better than what it
would substitute. The objection
there is to multiplicity of elections.
to expense Of ofice.seeki1g, to dis.
turbance Of business, to long tickets
and short terms.
States. like Minnesota in the west
and Massachusetts in the east, which
developed the primary most slowly,
feeling their way toward keeping the
principle while perfecting the meth
cd, are less p%erturbed. Massachu-
sets has held on to party organiza-
ton and Is making way toward the
relief of the short ballot.
Minnesota has made progress il
the same direction of simplicity by
longer terms for county Offices. and
has worked out uaoficially the re.
turn of party organization by pre-
liminary conferences in all three par
ties, with the consequent choice In
the recen tprimary of three major
ity candidates for nomination. Wis
consin AID Iowa are making similar
progress.
In the end. probably most states
will keep all that is good In the d.
rect primary. and restore all that
good in representative govern
meat of parties.-Minneapolis Jour
1al
THE PRIMARY IN OREGON.
Judge Lowell has started some.
thing by his recent suggestion that
the direct primary sbe abolished, and
that a single election under the pre-
ferential system be substituted. The
Is surprised at the res
ponse that has come from the news.
papers of the state, which, it may be
supposed, reflect local opinion.
We agree with the Judge thor
oughly," says the La Grande Obser-
yer DrOgressive), "for to our mind
are an entire waste of men
and money" The, Observer is get
ting pretty far from progressive
party profession and practise when it
attacks the direct primary. We have
no purpose, however, to upbraid;
only to express u wonder.
THE direct primary" says the Pen
dleton Tribune (republican), serves
no real purpose except possibly as a
sort of elimination, and endurance
contest in the political prize ring
There is a growing dissatisfaction
the working Of the direct PR.
mary, particularly the financing side
Of It," declares the McMinnville Tel.
ephone Register independently. 1T
Is a very pertinent question why 1t
should be necessary to hold two cleo
"The primary has never been a sat
lsfactory system" says the Cottage
Grove Sentinel (republican). "The
suggestion Is In line with
what the Sentinel has said before"
The primary election has cost the
state 100000, and what is the re-
asks the Condor Times IRE
p%ublfcan). "Why not have one cleo
1.-THE recent primary is an expen-
sive b%antling," says the Capital Jour-
nal independent democrat). If Il
an improvement on the old conven-
lion methods, no one has yet discov.
cred wherein 1t Is So
The convention has gone; the d.
rect primary is, apparently, to 60.
What next?-Oregonia1.