New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1916-04-05
Wednesday April 5, 1916.
Presidential Primary
Freak Legislation

L
Freok Legislation
Few of the leading papers of the state
have come out in favor of the recent
presidential preference primary at which
time the delegates to the national con-
ventions of the two great parties were
selected. We say few advisedly, be-
cause the only persistent advocate of
In several of it's recent issues it has
treated the law to editorial comment and
continues to suggest that the short
comings of the law be remedied by the
next legislature.
The Herald says that the complaints
against the law are amazingly wide
spread and come from newspapers that
will on second thought agree that they
have been hasty. We agree with the
first part of that statement, but not with
the latter. The more the workings of the
law have been brought to public atten-
ton, the more opposition to it is being
aroused, until the demand for it's repeal
is becoming general. 1t is freak legis-
lation at it's best and does not give the
people what the title of the law would
imply.
Instead of giving the voter an oppor-
tunity to make his choice for delegates
ne is restricted to few and the result is
that the machines of the populated
centers of the state elect the delegates
they want. During the recent primary
the entire northern part of the state was
ignored by both parties not withstanding
the fact that strong candidates were in
the field. Editor Weiss of Duluth, one
OF the big men of that section went down
to defeat, simply because he did not have
the machinery. Take the selection of
Eberhart on the Republican ticket and
LaWler on the Democratic ticket. Was
their selection as delegates due to their
personal popularity? Nothing of the
kind. Eberhart still retains control of
the old Republican machine and the
horde of office holders under him we're
requisitioned into service for the occasion.
Lawler had the backing Of Lynch and his
federal appointee machine. Choice of
the people? Rats!
Old caucus and convention DAYS
brought out the voters of community
If vital issues were at stake, and no
politician ever was big enough to control
a gathering of that kind. The reason
for the little interest manifested by the
voter at the primaries of today is found
in the fact that men seek office instead of
the office seeking the man.
We have in mind one of the great state
conventions of the Democratic party
when John A. Johnson received the
nomination for governor Would any
one tell us that Johnson's nomination
could have been accomplished at a
primary; that he would have come out
seeking the Office? Mr.. Johnson had
not the slightest intention of running.
neither had the rank and file of the party
When the selection of delegates to the
state convention was made the faintest
l1ea OF who the nominee would be. But
those delegates were chosen from their
respective communities as men who
could be entrusted with the selection of
state ticket and no boss could have con-
trolled them. The same thing applies
in the selection Of delegates to the
national conventions, only more forciblv
The presentation to the voter of a ballot
at the primary is a cold, ifeless propo-
sition and carries no more weight or
dignity than straw vote conducted bv
a yellow journal.
Do you think that a delegate to a
county, district or state convention
would vote against the wishes of the
precinct that sent him? Not on your
tintype. He would not dare to return
and face the scorn OF his neighbors and
friends and if he did his name would he
Dennis in the future as far as political
aspirations were concerned.
Conventions, preceded by caucuses
where healthy arguments can be brought
out on the fitness or unfitness of certain
candidates, have developed the greatest
statesmen Of the past and to replace them
by the cold, dictatorial slip Of paper is a
sacrilege and deliberate attempt to
curb the power of the people and give
the reins of government into the hands
OF small interested minority.
Trouble again seems imminent be-
tween the western railroads and their