The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-11-04
FRANK E. HOWE. Editor and Pub
Thursday, November a. 1915.

1t may be that The Herald is stand
Ing in its own light, from a business
| standpoint, by failing to wax enthusi-
| astic over the direct primary for
| Vermont, because a primary law is
| one of the finest revenue sources for
| publishers and printers that ever
arose out of politics. The Vermont
system of mentioning" various can
didates purely as matter of good
natured neighborly news-interest,
would not be likely to prevail when
candidates spring up like mushrooms,
overnight and by the dozen. With
| the need for reaching every voter di-
rect, instead of a representative num-
Der through caucus and convention,
candidates would have to use" the
newspapers more than ever before.
Needless to say, they would have to
buy great deal of advertising space,
as a newspaper could not be expect
ed to. publish their propaganda in re-,
peated detail merely as matter of
news. So important is newspaper
support in direct primary campaign
that in some states laws have been
passed, rightly limiting the character
of political advertising Rutland
Herald.
The Herald is SO anxious to dis
credit the direct p Urinary that it
imagines a ghost behind every tree
and proceeds to talk about its halluci- |
nations as though they were real |
The primary law proposed for Yer.
mont will add nothing to the income |
Of newspapers and printers that they |
do not get now. The Herald is too |
provincial and should broaden its
horizon. Its editor lived out in the
state of WASHINGTON a few years and I
in his youth, innocence and enthus-
iasm, imasires thar his own expert
ence is peculiar and epochal and that
his deductions are genuine discover
les. The facts are that in politics
everywhere in this country it has
become harder and harder for the
bosses and their henchmen to deliy-
er the goods. AS a result the APP
peal has been more and more to the +
voters direct instead or TO the poIiti-
clans. To make this appeal effective
has increased the use OF printers ink.
The Herald genius saw it in the state
Of Washington and promptly jumped
to the conclusion that it was due to
the direct primary If he had looked
around he would have found similar
phenomena in the, states that have
40 primary. The direct primary
1nts the making of nominations into
he hands of the voters and takes it
away from railroad presidents, cor
)oration lawyers, professional lobby
SITS and mercenary politicians. For
hat reason the folks who don't be- g.,
ieye in popular control OF public af.
airs are opposed to the primary.
rhe Herald's insinuation that some
newspapers favor the direct primary
because it might possibly increase ,
heir revenue a few cents per year is
lnkind because it is untrue. 1t also {
shows the desperate straits to which :
he opponents of the direct primary |
re reduced. They have no real ar
,ument against the direct primary so
hey seek to prejudice the people by
imaginary things. The Herald even i,
ibels its own profession in a desper-
tie attempt to prevent the rank and !,
ile of sthe people taking charge of ;,
heir own affairs, Why should the !,
ierald be so afraid of the plain yot-
rs of Rutland and Bennington and
lie other towns Of Vermont?