The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-03-04
NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE.

= NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE.
The charge has been made tina
The Star-M Mirror is "democratI
paper" because it supports the league
of nations This is unjust and shows
lack of investigation by those making
it The issue is not a partizan one
President Wilson said: "This is al
American, not a partizan ISSUE"
Surely no one will accuse William
Howard Taft, former president and
since the death of Roosevelt, the
acknowledged leader of the republi
can party, of being a democrat, ye
Mr.. Taft is making tour of the en-
tire United States speaking in favor
of the league and urging the Ameri
can people to demand of their Unltee
States senators that they support the
league. Mr.. Taft is certainly moi
campaigning in favor of a democratic
: ssue or principle.
One of the leading republican news
S.pers of the United States is the
= Louis Globe Democrat, which, II
l.; tie of its name, is staunch sup,
porter of the republican party anc
has been for so years. The St. Louis
Globe Democrat says:
''This is not partizan question
II is a question that enters into every
home in the land and deeply concerns
every man, woman and child therein
1t is a question that affects every
pocket book, however fat and however
lean. We must enter the league OF
nations or we must arm to the teeth
at back-breaking COST"
Scores of leading republican and
independent newspapers of the United
States are supporting the league. 1t
is not partizan issue by any means.
- - "a
THE NEW PRIMARY LAW.
The new primary law, signed by
Governor Davis Monday will, no doubt
be big improvement over the old
direct primary which has been in
existence in Idaho for 10 years. 1t
seems certain that it cannot be worse.
We have given the old law good
trial, covering 10. years and it has
been found lacking and has been
thrown in the discard.
Theoretically the direct primary
law is all right, but it has not proved
satisfactory in practice. 1t is no.
torious fact that under the provisions
of the direct primary law men have
been nominated and elected to office
whose incompetency and unfitness
were notorious and whom no political
party would dare have nominated.
Any man with money enough to pay
the filing fee could become candi-
date and if there were several candl-.
dates in the field he stood a good
chance of being nominated and if his
party was strong enough he would
be elected. This has occurred many
times in Washington and Oregon un-
der the direct primary law.
If Idaho had had the law just
adopted in 1918 it would have been
for political tricksters to
have come here from other states
and stole the democratic party or !
yanization and wrecked that party as
vas done. 1t is almost a "cinch"
hat the new law will be an improve
nent over the one just discarded in
his state.
MOSCOW ON STATE HIGHWAY. /
It is good news to the people of
Moscow and Latah county that the
metropolis of northern Idaho will be
N the great north and south state
highway, but it is not surprising that
t should be so. In fact it would be
ifficult to understand how the state
ighway commission could have Sc
,cted q route that would not have
assed through Moscow. This is the
argest and best town in northern
1aho and is the seat of the states
reatest educational institution. 1t
ould have been disappointment to
,e people of all sections of the state
I'd the highway not been located
rough Moscow.
Those who know the topography of
e country say the route selected as
Id elsewhere in this issue, is a good
e, with good grades and grand
emery. That the road will pass
rough Lewiston, Genesee, Moscow,