The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1916-07-27
E.CT PRIMARY-"A DEVILS
DEVICE. "

.vl -uere was device of the devil
,s-.- g is the direct primary.
W it come about? There had
=. -.a abuse of the caucus and con-
ssstsm. 1t was charged that
RI licences controlled nominations
r-t-- ut he packed caucus. In some
hey did. Under the spur of
.- liOnal contests, many things
~ - at once disgusting and dis
9-" But all the evils incident to
f -su system could have been re-
- ry q simple statute legaliZing the
l..s laying down rules for its con-
tt-re was no need to abandon the
sw: pies of representative govern
e. lEeH the caucus system as it
i ouQ have been rendered much
: fui by strict attention to civic
la a6 he part of the people. How
-y .I-sucts could have been controlled
r8u- packed caucus. if the decent
--r, 1 every precinct had made it
ar attend the caucus? But such a
lug a= tempting to remedy political
.-a- devotion to the ordinary duties
I2-uship does not appeal to the aver
b -a-rcan. He wants a legislative
.-" new law, a cure-all that will
.U- self, And so these negligent
z5 who never went to caucus in
tx and who otter had tc be
sge 10 the polls by party workers,
"a eamor for primary law, led on
wHe-ans who hoped to profit by such
.atl.- They raised the cry of Back
tts t=opie! Let the People rule
Sc SAME People who went to the
str- 70 the club on caucus nights.
War as been the results? Has the
g been dethroned? Does the office
.r- nan? Have the people greater
'- Eer nominations than they had
'E il nd system? Has the personnel
aoIders improved? Not one of
f. positions can be answered in the
7ta'Ne The boss is as powerful as
. be- only thing left to the people
Use from the list presented on
Hary ballot. Such a thing as
t.' nan at an especially important
' mighty task is absolutely i'm
SD. Never In the history of Ameri-
Vas The personnel of public life so
Incompetent as it is to-day.
aa nal advocates of the primary,
"rs honest, went upon the theory
voter is deeply interested in
.a. .4irs, and that, if given direct
Unity, he would carefully weigh
tcatIons of all the candidates,
'fa. 0n.y fit men would have chance.
us greeable as the truth is, the
rag -oter is not deeply interested in
'y al airs. The average voter knows
and ares less about things political,
-37 5.mr personal or financial interest
.Fsd , involved. In the second place,
Va Ne most intelligent voter is helpless
q. = tomes to choosing host of can
a'7- trough the medium of the pri-
-y ballot 1t is, for the most part,
OIL Unknown names. Often the most
..1geat voter knows nothing about
siy lVA per cent of them, and as a
BE- votes for the first name on the
under the several headings. When
40" primary law was first enacted,
iaYIiea that the names of the candi-
Es Ter the several offices to be noml-
5i sIolid be arranged on the ballot in
lsJ-Jcal order. What was the result?
" s beat B, and B beat G. when there
.' and so on throughout the length
vi. oa''ot. Finally they changed the
p q. ranged it so that every candi-
Az MS name first on the list in a
i.2naJe number of counties. That
y ne men whose names begin with
d. uf 1. But what commentary it
't- worth of the law as a measure
'si'iH. and on the intelligence of the
yoter!-W. r. Boyd, in The
lI american Raviau