Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-15
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor of the Telegraph:

Several prominent and influential
daily papers have recently been stig-
matizing our primary election law as
"a delusion and snare" Many poll
ticians and members of the General AS
sembly of 1915 were so dissatisfied
with the provision which enables a
candidate TO get his name on two or
more party tickets that bill was in
troduced in the House TO make such
practices Illegal. There was consider
able sentiment in favor of the passage
of the bill, but it did not come to u
final vote. To some this practice did
not seem TO SAVIOR or high ideals of
public service, but rather contracts
sharply with the character of states
men of earlier times with their clear
and well-defined articles of political
faith. Others take a more fanciful and
comic view of it, believing that the
better thing to do with an abnormal
condition is to make 1t ridiculous and
bizarre. Instead of painting it as
gross violation OF every propriety and
fraudulent attempt to mislead and
deceive the voters. they paint the BIZ
partisan or tri-partisan candidate in
some grotesque form. or costume, and
laugh him out of count. One OF these
represents him as masquerading in a
coat of many colors, like jacobs be-
loved youngest son. How this coat
was made up we can conjecture. 1t
was patchwork of different ma
terials and colors. Such is the coat
of our modern political Joseph. and
the patches are pieces of hide from the
Elephant, and the skin of the Mule and
the integument of the Bull Moose.
He is the Independent candidate. or
voter. who is publicly courted by the
politician, and privately coursed by the
loyal party man. He is a trader. with
n, no partic ular platform, except some
prominent place in the minds of the
voters He thus constructs one
plank platform, outside of which he
thereby he can catch votes. A states
mans platform can not be constructed
of one plank. nor can the genuine
creed CT OF the true politician be narrow
Our own great judge. Honorable
George Kunkel. said recently: There
are are greater questions than that of
say. than that of local" local option onie This
is only one of the three conspicuous
modern methods of governmental con-
il has in itself no moral element. but
is merely question of most efficient
control Of very difficult social prob
State. For the voter it has. like every
other subject. its moral element. The
state does not legislate on moral ques-
tions' c1n 1t does not prescribe a moral
CODE by vote of the electorate. But this
subject. now so fervently agitated in
ecclesiastical and palitical circles, is
presented as "a great moral ISSUE" as
board in Philadelphia. 1t is made by
some the one plank of their plat
forms as candidates office. Upon this
they strive for place on one or more
party tickets other than the party to
which they belong. What besides this
one item constitutes their real plat
not be political wisdom to disclose
their other planks, If they have any.
They come before the voters as un-
known quantities. No one can tell
questions which divide political parties
what Is the political status of such
candidate? The voter is placed in the
predicament of the children of Israel
on the first morning after the fall of
the mama. They looked at one anoth-
e er and asked: What is it?" This is
instinctively as the voter looks at the
bipartisan or tri-partsan candidate
standing on his one-plank platform.
II appeals to many. too. as a case of
candidate to assume to represent two
or or three distinct political parties.
These great parties have many mem
6ers 9e eminssntly, qualified, to represent
them in official positionsl Is there any
good reason why they should go out
side their ranks for candidates for
y PaGlS eeGS ,oIlCe! DoeS IL not seem as IL
ohlce-hunger were the principal mo-
tive to induce a candidate TO seek
place or two or more tickets? or is it
an instance of the inconsiderate child
reaching out its hand to pluck the
gorgeous feathers from the wings of
fame? The object evidently is 70 get
al the possible votes from those outside
MS own party. and thus to Improve
the chances of his nomination. There
is, however, more honorable method
than this. Yet II may not seem so
sure a way. of securing the votes. De-
Vious are the ways of the political as
plrant for oGice but none are more so
than those of the candidate who dons
Joseph's coat of many colors. or who
it?" "ha' Is
Harrisburg. May Is.