Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-02-19

operation Of your primary law and refer
| endum you viii. find that the affirmative
| very generally carries.
The operation of this law shows very
clearly that where the most Of the PEG
pie are concentrated. in those centers OF
population they can control the nomina-
ton Of the candidates. That was Illus
trated in our own county. l was very
gled to hear from other counties as to
the operation Of this law.
| A change Of methods does not improve
the morals Of men. When ! first came
into the Maine Legislature, under the old
boss system. there learned who would
be governor for the next Il years, and
| the prediction and the arrangement was
carried out
| new proposition presented to the peo-
| pie will always receive an affirmative
vote. The people who had this law under
control-they have operated under it and
they are beginning to see some of its de-
fects.
AT some time during the argument of
my distinguished colleague from York,
Senator Cole, was almost in doubt
whether he would support report A or
report B.
/ shall not take any more time. l
simply wish TO declare the faith that is
In me and the reason why l signed this
report In its sum and substance il
merely resubratts the law and allows the
people to pass a vote Of approval or
disapproval upon the action taken when
this law was adopted.
Mr.. LEARY of Penobscot Mr.. Pres
ident. l was surprised when the bill to
refer to the voters of the State. shall we
continue the primary law. was brought
| up for consideration. Nearly every one
/ ! met and talked with among the work
| ing men and farmers were in favor of the
Law as it is. 1t is true there are few
men who are opposed to the law, but
they We're from cities ana large towns,
! Of the law they said the voters OF the
small towns did not turn out and vote al
the primaries and so the small towns
were not represented in the primary vote
1t struck me as somew hat curious that
the cities where large proportion of the
vote was cast We're finding fault with
! the law and the country towns where
/ the vote was less in proportion TO the
/ total vote were satisfied. And then again.
the men who were opposed. when asked
! for a remedy. said "Oh. let us return TO
the oldtime caucus and convention law"
There, gentlemen. you have il in nut
shell. They cannot control all the voters
at primary ELECTION. but they could DO
something's towards it at g caucus.
And now, gentlemen, how about the
country towns under the old caucus law"
Were the small towns represented, and
how Well. gentlemen. q rev years ago.
and not 50 long but we here today can
! remember, when over in Penobscot
( county d nomination at a Republican
county convention was equivalent to an
election how were your delegates chos-
! en-? Why. the caucus vas packed and
! the different factions fought it out, and
while the minority faction was usually
| in for 4 fair count, the majority fac
ton wanted 10 count everything in sight
and sometimes some Of our Democratic
citizens who attended were counted, OF
course by mistake.
( Gentlemen. some few years ago We
/ got the secret ballot. or the Australian
/ ballot and as Sorle Of the opponents
! OF the law called il. the Kangaroo Bal
! lot, and for a few years there was
lots of trouble Our corporations and
employers of large numbers Of men
6enounce the law as un-American.
They could not conceive why there was
call for such a law. Well, gentle
men, that law is enforced today, and
( the State Of Maine in common with
a majority of the other states of the
Union believe in it. And SO il is with
the Primary Law; large majority Of
the state have primary law and be-
( lieVe in IL, and i think and want 10
believe, that there IS d large majori-
/ " Of the members of this Senate, If
/ respective of party, who believe In
! progress and are in favor of the law
! hope there will be large majority
in favor of IL as il is, and let US make
II as near unanimous as possible.
/ Mr.. FULTON of Aroostook: Mr.
President, II seems 10 me if there were
an ;nsistent demand on the part OF
the people Of the state that this law
! should be resubmitted that very many
more of the members OF the Senate
would feel like resuhmitting it.
We are tod by the members Of the
! committee that not more than four
| or five, and / think at most not more
than ten men appeared to speak on
| the bill on both sides, and not one
petition had been sent in by the PEG
pie of the state for the resuhrnission
Of this question to them again
| It seems to me that it is an at
tempt TO change the law before we
have given 1t fair trial. 1t has been
argued that il gives large centers IN
| the counties an advantage over the
rural community. That may be an
| objection, and Of course do not stand
here to cay that the primary law is
| perfect. There are objections, but it
seems to me that every objection that
applies to the present primary law
| could be applied to the old caucus and
convention system to a greater degree
than 1t could be applied to our pr!-
mary law.
! Some say 1t does not give the rural
towns the representation It gives the
larger towns, but ! remember very
well, in some of the caucuses and
conventions in my own county, that
| often in the towns, unless there was
/ some local contest II was a hard mat
ter to get out more than eight or ten
or dozen men at the caucus. Some
| times at the caucuses there would De