Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-10
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TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 10, 1920.
What is to Become of the Primaries?

With the Hoover boom" for President
finding earnest advocates all over the
country without the slightest regard te
whether he is Democrat or Republi-
can: with organized lbor intent upon
entering the political fled, this year,
with a view to securing the success OF
Candidates favorable to its aEse and the
,lefaat of those unfavorable, first at pro-
maries and then at the election, II need
he. with the Anti-Saloon League intent
,,pon securing the nomination and eiec-
tion Of candidates for Senate and House OF
Representatives and State legislatures
favorable to the maintenance oi the
Eighteenth Amendment and the Enforce
mcnt law: with the advocates OF the sale
of Intoxicating liquor under Incense
equally determined to secure candldate
favorable to the repeal of both the amend
ment and the Enforcement law, ana win
various other evidences of independent
action in politics, the managers oil the
Democratic and Republican parties are
facing a prospect of hard shedding IN
this years national and local campaigns
And especially will they be put TO their
utmost endeavors. their most effective
diplomacy, to protect the integrity oi the
primary elections of their respective
parties.
Primary elections are held as essential
to the successful operation OF poiIelcai
parties, as large and effective pohticai
organizations are held to be essential
to maintenance of he principles OF free
government. The primary is the founda-
tion stone of the aprty. That Is Is recos-
nized as such is attested by the numerous
laws. national as we'll as State, regulating
its proceeding and protecting II against
fraud and usurpation, especially the
usurpation of large sums OF money III
influencing resuots. Many OF these laws
have severe and 'freaky" provisions:
some of them are sound and practical.
The Primary Election law OF Delaware Is
regarded as one of the soundest and best,
and it guards the primary contest against
fraud and manipulation very ehectuaiiy'
makes it possible for the political party
TO secure an expression of the party faT
and honest sentiment through primary
voting.
But the foundation of the primary
is absolute respect for its verdicts when
they are fairly and honestly expressed.
Ii the primary contest is to be controlled,
or even materially affected, by thousands
nd hy 4 6
verdicts, and indorse the will OF the
majority as expressed IN declarations OF
party principles or the nomination OF
candidates for public Office, OF what use
will the primary be? If large bodies of men
are permitted to vote at party primaries
and then to rcpudiate the results, simply
because those results are not satisfactory
10 them, OF what use will it be to hold
party primaries?
The Iong-prevailing rule has been that q
voter who participates in the primary
election of his party-or OF party, let us |
say-binds himself, In honor, to abide |
by the result to support the candidates |
there nominated to the last man, unless it |
may appear that the announced result |
we're procured by fraud or other unfair |
means. This, and this only, was accepted
as sufficient warrant for repudiating the
ascertained primary result.
But this test of honor will be as nothing
ii voters of all kinds of political iinclinations
are permitted TO vote freely at party
primaries and then repudlate the results
if they do not happen TO be the results
they desire. By such promiscuous and
irresponsible voting, the will Of the real
majority Of the party's voters may be
overthrown at the primary, and the party
thus be compelled to stagger through the
campaign under uncongenial political
declarations and with candidates obnox-
ious to majority of its voters.
Under some primary Election laws,
notably those of Pennsylvania, it. is !
possible for dominant political party. |
having large margin of votes, to assign ]
a portion of its surplus voting power to /
the despicable scheme of voting at the {
primaries of the minority party and thus
as its nominees men of the
party. This has frequently
been done by the Republican party ma
chine in the city of Philadelphia.
Promiscuous and irresponsible voting |
at party primaries, with many voters
intent upon securing certain results and :
not held TO any respect for the decision 7
should it not be to their liking, might r
prove as great an evil as that operated by I
The unjust Primary Election laws of
What may the political parties do TO
protect themselves from this threatened
INVASION OF their primary fields? Ordi-