The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-01-20
Monday, January 20, 1919.
tbs PRIMARY LAW


rect primary law, is disposed to- be
fair in considering the proposal 10 re-
peal the law. The Herald SAYS, in
part:
Senator A. N. Hall of Grand Isle
is early in the field with bill TO re-
peal the direct primary This is a
proposition that is certain to cause
debate aud disagreement, because ev-'
cry member OF the present Legisla-
ture was elected under the primary
law. on the face OF things the repeal
OF the law would seem TO be an out
side probability. but as the Herald
has so often pointed out, the law as
il stands can be successfully attack
ed on a great many grounds. AT the
same time, Il is a bona flde method
for the popular selection Of candi.
dates and as such may be difficult
of displacement.
The ST. Adams Messenger also dis
cusses the issue rather warmly and
talks as though 1t would like to have
the primary wiped off the map. The
Messenger says
Once again the primary law is 80.
ing TO be under FIRE in the Vermont
legislature. Hardly anyone is salts
fed with the law as 1t now stands,
and there are many who do not be.
lieve in it at all, and who would Ike
to return 10 the old convention sys-
TEN. improved in some ways and in
some degree.
That Vermont has primary at all
is not a monument to the political
courage OF the state or Of its lawmak.
ers There was a noisy minority that
stood fer this piece of new tangled
legislation and too many politicians
allowed themselves to be misled by
the volume OF noise emanating from
this minority. II was forced through
legislature which did not want ii by
men who did not want it, That Us a
thumb nail sketcn OF the primary III
! Vermont Under the
primary, however. We find Democrats
Of Vermont invading Republican
urinary seeking to pick ont the Re
publican candidate who will be, natur.
ally, the one they think they win have
he best chance Of defeating ia the
election Ii is an invasion 10 weaken
Repuhlicanism. nothing else: the
same IN Vermont just as il is in other
uates, although IN some other states
/ he invasion may from the Republican
ranks into the Democratic.
The least that can be- done is 10
amend the primary 70 that ID viii be
an honest political Instrument which
viii permit OF the growth and
strengthening OF party organization
md responsibility instead OF hasten
! lng Sos destruction and an era 0l
political chaos. & may be that the
present legislature viii want 90 repeal
the act entirely hat Il should az least
10 some OF The simple and patent
hings that are necessary to name u
1t al acceptable.
The Banner and as editor perhaps
have as warmly supported the pri-
nary as anybody in Vermont We had
no illusions ab5ut it and the law has
worked precisely as we expected It
you'd. We never promised that %
would prove q pnacea for political
evils and tried to discourage those
who did Nothing other than the
slowly advancing civilization of the
ages will bring the millennium Any
BODY who thinks it can be brought
| abcut by a system, social religious
or political is doomed to bitter disar-
pointment
The primary takes the selection OF
candidates out OF the hands Of small
group Of political managers and pua
L into the hands cf--the mob. If YOU
Ike to have the fact stated hmntly
It compels the appeal In the pre-
lection campaign to be made to ih'
ank and dle OF the voters instead oI
hleny to the politicians. This appeal
3 educational and in the Ions gun
8 sure to result In a better nlor
tanding Of state and naticaai issues
which should and viii be conducive
better citizenship.
The chief complaint in this stale :.
hat the present primary law permits
oters of one party to take part d
nominating candidates Of another par
y. Had the legislature OF 1918 ac
epted the primary bill as written lhi
ondltcn would not now exist
The bin as written provided tina
he ballots OF the parties shoulC
le printed on separate slips of paper
md thai each voter going to the polls
vote should asl, for the ballot o
Ms party. Wero this provision h
orco there would be compnratlyei,
title voting outside party lines
Tho legislature of 1915 changed
his provision to the present form o
vide open yotmg lt was done al th'
iehest OF certain leading members oil
hat legislature the number mcludinr
10Th Republicans and Democrats The
Banner can give their names If q
seems necessary
/ MA, ,...,,..,. a.,. ,aI tnt,tl O., .ia