The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1915-09-25

THE convention system gave rise to
abuses. Bosses and machines were
able to control the convention, but
even under the worst boss and the
worst machine the convention was
body with a sense of some response
| bility growing out of its desire to
nominate a ticket which would win in
| the election; and. therefore, while it
| may have nominated many machine
candidates whose selection did not
make for the public interest, it fire.
quently nominated men of strength
and popularity and high character in
order that the ticket might be a vote
getting one. Under the system of the
general primary there is no such res
possibility. Especially is this true in
the selection of the subordinate off
GERS. Circumstances of no real or
proper significance in the selection of
qualified candidates affect the choice
in such cases. If the initial letter of
the candidates name comes early in
the alphabet, and he is first in the list
of candidates, he may receive thous-
ands of votes more than the man
whose name begins with w. Anything
that lives man notoriety or con-
spicuousness in the community, how
ever unimportant in showing his quail
ifications, attracts votes to him be-
cause the voters have no other means
OF Identifying or discriminating be-
tween the many candidates. The man
who advertises himself most in the
newspapers has a great advantage.
The general primary in the opportun-
ity which it offers to the use of money
in organizing a campaign, expended,
not corruptly, but merely in giving
publicity to the candidate, greatly
increases the power of money. | have
known man after man, worthy of par
ty preference, who has declined to
enter a primary contest because of the
financial burden that a successful is
sue imposed.
"Nor is it true that the general
primary is any less subject to the
control of a machine and the boss and
a political organization than con-
vention. Primaries are usually at
tended by a minority of the party. In
other words, the result is much affect
ed by the number who can be aroused
to come out and vote, and that de-
ponds upon organization. This places
~ lAlS iittAlto VI Iiit pOIIllCIuiIS WHO
have an organization the means to
control.
In America we have been greatly
Influenced by the success that our
people have shown in the invention of
machines to reduce the amount of
labor needed and the cost of produc-
ton, and we cannot get over the idea
that political evils can be remedied by
a change in political machinery. l
don't mean to say that one form of
machinery in politics is not better than
another, but | do mean to say that
everyone will fail, or will suffer in
its operation if the electorate do not
perform their electoral duties. The
representative system in legislatures
and in conventions system will work
well if the people who ought to vote
will turn out and it will work for the
reasons | have stated great deal
better than the initiative and referen-
dunn and the general primary. But we
should realize under any system the
politicians will control, if the people
fail in their electoral duties. These
so-called reforms and their popularity
are a sincere expression of the desire
of the people to make short cuts and
to avoil the evils of failure of the
people to do their duties. It is a fut-
i'e policy. as exoerience is showing.
We find the so-called bosses still con-
trolling under the general primary,
and we find the reformers as bitter
AGAINST the result of tho general nri-
n'aries when thew are defeated as they
wore AGAINST the convention. We NAV.
therefore. eynect a wise reaction from
the attemnted infusion Of "more dnmo-
rracv to "rre the evils of present
democracy"