Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-12-02
THE PRIMARY LAW.

berry in the state of Michigan finds evidence
that the republican candidate spent a million dol
lars in that election to beat Mr. Ford the auto
mobile magnate. The latter by the way an
nounced when he became candidate that he
would not spend dollar though he had the stuff
in abundance It is interesting to note, however
that one of the corrupt methods used by New
berry in his efforts to prevent Ford from being
elected was to manipulate the democratic party
primary by paying man to make race in the
democratic primary against Ford. Thus we have
the spectacle of candidate for the United States
senate on the republican ticket paying large
sum of money to democrat to induce him to be-
come candidate for the same honor on the DEM
ocratic ticket so that he would have as an oppo-
nent at the election man who presumably was a
weak candidate and in any event an opponent
who was on his pay roll secretly and had ac-
cepted political bribe money from him. The
scheme failed because Mr.. Ford won the nomin-
alton in the democratic primary but it illustrates
the easy way in which primary nominating cleo
tions can and are manipulated to deceive the
voters.
At the recent meeting of B. K. Wheeler in this
city he laid great stress on the wisdom and ad-
vantage of maintaining the present primary law
of the state just as it is, without amendment or
change Our present primary law is the delight
of political crooks. 1t is picnic for them. 1t
lends itself to all kinds of political skullduggery.
The leaders Of the non partisan league have been
absolutely opposed to any change in it. They
think it is lust what they want-for other par
ties than their own. When it comes to applying
it to their own party as means of selecting the
men their members are to vote for they will have
none Of it. In fact curiously enough they have
adopted exactly and precisely the old method
which the democrats and republicans used to
nominate ticket before this primary election
law was foisted on them by few half-baked po-
litical reformers who called themselves by the
high sounding title of the Peoples Power league.
The non partisan league announces that it will
select the nominees of it's party by delegate coun-
ty conventions. No one can vote on these dele
gates except registered members Of the nom
partisan league in good standing. These dele
gates meet in convention in each county and Sc
lect county ticket. They also elect delegates
to state convention which will select nominees
for the state ticket. So far the proceedings is
exactly like the old party convention system. But
now the method changes. Instead of putting up
going before the people for Endorsement on their
own merits and sailing under their own flag the
non-partisan league now seeks to debauch the
party primaries of one or the other of the old
primaries and nominate non-partisan league cam
didates as republican or democratic candidates.
In this way they hope to get in addition to their
own votes the votes Of lot Of republican or DEM
ocratic voters who are not informed that po-
litcal cuckoo has laid an egg in their nest which
they have been Matching and feeding with worms
under the false impression that it is one of their
own fledglings. When the young cuckoo gets a
little stronger he proceeds to crowd the real own
ers of the nest out and they perish on the ground
while he takes all the grub That is the way the
non partisan league works in politics. We think
Mr. Townley must have copied his method from
the cuckoo birds.
There is no secret made Of these methods. B.
K Wheeler, candidate for governor on the nom
partisan and radical labor platforms, told his au-
dience just what he meant to do. He said on the
platform that he had not decided yet whether
he would run the republican ticket or the dem
ocratic ticket. He further told his audience that
his final selection would be governed by expedi-
ency only, as the principles of both these parties
were equally hateful to him. and it was his pur-
pose to force his candidacy on the one easiest to
stuff with his votes. Privately we understand
that Mr. Wheeler favors the republican party as
being the easiest to capture because it has good
many candidates for governor and the non-par-
tisan league voters are more numerous in the
country precincts which republican.
Are the republicans and democrats going to
norpoi+ thiS unholv cOnsniracy tn dehauch thait