The Topeka state journal., 1919-01-21
FIGHT ON PRIMARY
Repeal of Law Sought by Noble
of Labette County.
Representative Plans To Garry
War Thru Legislature.
BILL FOR CONVENTION SYSTEM
Party Nomination Measure Ap-
pears in House Officially.
Only Rich Can Win an Election
Now, Says Noble.
BILL FOR CONVENTION SYSTEM

Demand for the repeal of the state
wide primary election law came Off
cially before the state legislature to-
day. Representative Noble of Labette
county today introduced in the house
a bill seeking the absolute and final
repeal of the law. and a return to the
convention system of making party
nominations
Noble, who is one of the veteran
members of the Kansas legislature. is
an enemy of the present primary law
and all it's provisions. He sees moth
ing but iniquity. loose guessing and
enormous expense in the measure
which was offered to the state eleven
years ago as a panacea for all the evils
of the Kansas nominating system. No
ble's only offer of a substitute is a re-
turn to the delegate convention system
and another day of party organization
and party responsibility for candidates
and platforms.
With the opening of the house ses-
sion today. Noble sent his bill to the
reading clerks desk. He proposes to
fight for the passage of the measure
at the present session and probably
will go personally before the elections
committee in a demand for considera-
tion of the bill on the floor. A num-
Der of house members are known to be
strongly opposed to the present pri-
mary law. Some of them want the
present law amended, making the pri-
mary apply only to county and local
candidates. There are a number of
members. tho. who have openly de-
clared their intention to support a bill
TO repeal the law if the measure comes
up for roll call.
Only Rich Can Win.
Two years ago Noble sought the re-
peal of the primary law. His action
called down the wrath of the state ad-
ministration at that time and it was
asserted that the bill was smothered
IN, of DIM iSfI
tion influence. With a new admins
tration that is looking for support of
a definite legislative program, the La
bette county representative believes he
will be able to bring his bill to roll
call-maybe passage.
There isn't thing about the pri-
mary law that calls forth worthy
praise" Noble said in discussing his
bill: THE present law is expensive,
ineffective and a game of guess and
gamble in Which only the rich man
or the man with a string of newspa-
pers behind him has a chance to win.
Individual merit doesn't count under
the present system. A voter becomes
accustomed to seeing the name of a
candidate in a newspaper or on bill
board and votes for him without
consideration of the qualifications of
candidate unable to squander SO
much money or too modest to talk
constantly in the first person.
Voter Goes BlindIy To Polls.
Except in the cases of candidates
for governor and United States sena-
tor, the average voter knows nothing
of the candidates for state or federal
office. The average voter doesn't
know and can't know. He simply
goes blindly down the ballot, usually
voting for the first name he comes to
If anyone will take the trouble to
look at the returns in the last state
wide primary or any other statewide
primary, they will learn that these
and gamble vote, wherein the dele
gates who attended the conventions
under the former system, knew some
thing of the record and qualifications
of the men who sought nominations
and hesitated to bind the party to a
nominee who would not dignity his
party or the office he sought.
think the whole primary system is in
absolute disfavor with the voters OF
the state and that they would be glad
TO see the thing wiped off the statute
books.
Sveral measures suggesting changes
in the present nominating system have
been suggested for the present ses-
sion. One plan to cure the evil was
suge ested in the Sch 7ch- -Weightmar
bill, now before the elections commit
tees of both houses. Mobiles bill
tho. draws the issue squarely, and
If it secures a place on the calendar
there will be n gala half day for leg
islative visitors.