Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-04-13
PRIMARY A CALAMITY.


Chicago 225 Fifth Ave, New York
City; Gumhel Bldg Kansas City, MO.
PRIMARY A CALAMITY.
Hurrah for the presidential prefer.
ence primary that the politicians were
SO anxious to have so that the "peepul'
could express their choice
Monday the ''peepul" exercised the
mighty prerogative of showing their
preference and it was certainly awe in
spring. From early morn till late at
night the polls were open and great
throngs, representing the rank and file
of four great national parties, crowded
the voting places to register their
choices for candidates.
All over the great state of Iowa, 1t
was the same story. The enthusiasm
was wonderful and the election plainly
showed how greatly appreciated is this
opportunity to vote for the candidates
instead of letting them be selected by
party conventions.
Great enthusiasm for the primary
was shown in Ottumwa 1t is very
popular here. Down in the bloody
first one Of the most crowded wards
in the CITY, the crush at the polling
place was so great that it was ques-
ton for a time whether one polling
place would be sufficient During the
first seven hours that the voting was
in progress, battery of rapid fire
counters found that sixteen people
had voted When the polls had closed
it was discovered that the stupendous
total was flfty-three.
1t was even worse in the second. BY
!, ~ W. fho NJ IF ha iJ1H0
and through their patriotic refusal to
two voters were enabled to register
their choices in the first seven hours
of work .
The third was the banner ward. BY
systematic poll working and getting
the vote out early, sixty-two people
were enabled to vote as early as two
o'clock in the afternoon. In six more
hours this was doubled.
The other wards of the city also
evidenced the Importance of the presi-
dental preference primary and there
was crush of anxious voters at every
balloting place. The terrific pace Of the
morning was kept up all afternoon and
when the polls closed at eight o'clock,
about 500 Ottumwa voters had register
ed their choice for various candidates
for president and national delegates
and committeeman. Less than ten per
cent
Whoa! Stop! That statement is a
little broad because they really did not
have much of choice to register. The
ballots for the various parties contain
ed few or none of the names of the
candidates. For instance there was
total of but two names on the tickets
for the presidential nomination. The
ballot given the republican voters con-
tanned only the name of Senator A. B.
Cummins as candidate for the presi-
Dental nomination. The democratic
ballot contained only the name of
Woodrow Wilson, The progressive
ballot had no candidate and the same
was true of the socialist ballot. So the
voters really had no choice at all. 1t
was just a case of seeing how many
voters would vote for the ''cinch' win
ners of the election.
All joking aside, the presidential pri-
mary would be the greatest joke In the
country if it were not such calamity
The people have no more chance of ex-
pressing a choice for president than
they have of flying The "favorite SON
practice and senatorial courtesy
keeps the great majority of candidates
names of the ballot. In this state, for
example, Senator Cummins is running
for the nomination Seeing that he is
an Iowan, none Of the other candidates
invaded his state and so Iowa is hand
ed over to Cummins, willy-nilly. Cum
minis returns the compliment by keep
i, 0< iv3c fo w
"favorite sons" are running. Thus the
very politicians who put this farce on
the people are defeating its very In.
tent-defeating the very claims that
were made for it. Roosevelt, four years
ago preached that the primary was the
only proper way to nominate candl-
dates, now he refuses to even let his
name be considered in the primary, but
is willing to be nominated by the con-
vention method.
However, Senator, Cummins and ex-
President Roosevelt, are not acting any
different in this matter, so far as their
action affects the people, than the
"favorite sons" in other states. The
point is that the 'favorite son" act cuts
down the interest in the primary be-
cause it is a farce to call it a contest.
It is ridiculous to spend the taxpayers
money paying for an election when
there Is no contest.
The upshot OF 1t is, the people do
not get to vote on the REAL candi-
dates for presidential nomination.
They merely get to vote for the man
whom courtesy designates as the "fav-
orite SON." To put favorite son on
the ballot and exclude all other names,
simply takes away the opportunity of
expressing a preference.
The advocates Of the primary law
said the time had come when the
speople were to select their own candi-
Tdates instead Of letting bosses, eau
cuses and conventions name them.
They said that the candidates were be-
ing foisted on the parties by very
small minority
A brief analysis of Yesterdays vote
In Ottumwa-or anywhere else for that
fnstter-is convincing evidence that
lander the discarded caucus system,