Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1921-04-06
Election OF State and Local
Officers.
lBv OLA M. Hodovall

JuOI pcto0OQ LII O0Sh q pm
zeal campaign. the question regarding
the method of electing our State and
Local officers is still fresh in our
minds.
We have been using the Double
System of Election about seventeen
years, and have found that it is not
| perfect; that it has pronounced de-
| fects.
BY the term, Double Election Sys-
tenn" is meant the system now in use
of Primary election followed by a
general election.
To enable us to render a correct
| judgement upon it's benefits and de-
fects, we must of necessity, know
what features are inadequate, and
wherein it may be remedied.
/ We are not unfamiliar with the
nischiefs which come from electing
our State and Local Officials ON Ma
tional party lines. When voters tie
/ themselves down to one party and let
it be known that they will always
vote the same straight ticket, right
or wrong, they become blind parti-
sans. They throw away the only pol
itical weapon they possess.
Under this system we have all seen
times when good men were defeated
because they happened to belong to
a national political party which was
on the decline when the election oc-
cured We have also seen bad men
elected because they happened to be-
long to a national political party
which was on the ascent when the
election occurred. Because of these
great swings in national party senti-
ment, men lose or gain positions in
| the council irrespective of their per-
sonal merits and their records. There
is also the fact that some cities are
Overwhelmingly addicted to one party
or the other, and it is said, that in
those cities a yellow dog is sure of
election if he can get the nomination
of the dominant party. In other cit
les that is not true, but the fact re-
mains that many voters, who have
not taken much interest in the cleo
ton will vote for the man upon their
party, unless they know something
| tremendously bad about him.
This method has resulted in putting
up weak men without character and
without political record, who come in
by party support and who once in
are subject to a considerable extent
to the control of those who have the
parry machinery in heir hands. The
| party leaders will call up this alder
man or that alderman and ask him
to support certain measure in the
council He feels that the personal
political strength of party leaders is
so great that it would be we'll for him
to comply with his request. We have
all seen instances where excellent
candidates lost their offices just be-
cause of band of leaders who in
fiuence voters for candidate of an
entirely opposing party.
AS q further result there are fellows
on the pay roll whose greatest ac
/ tivity is political activity, and who
are not rendering service to the pub
| lie equivalent to the salaries they get
Also at the direct primaries where
| the process of nominating candidates
take place, is found to be much fraud.
One party for instance the replbli-
cans may have five or six candidates
to be voted on to be placed upon the
ticket, and the democrats but one.
| The democrats are positive their can
didate will be placed on the. ticket,
regardless of the number of votes, so
! they pick out the weakest man of
the republican party and vote for him.
When the general election takes place
the voters vote for the opposing
party rather than to vote for one
whom they know to be very weak.
Again we find that from habit and
| also from loyalty to party many
voters vote the straight party ticket.
This can be stopped by removing the
party column from the municipal
! ticket and by removing party labels.
There should be no party designation
| on he ballot and the names should
+! be rotated so that no one would have
| the advantage of a position on the
ballot
Then since parties would have no
nominees, no man being able to claim
that he is a democrat, the republican
or the progressive nominee, the ques-
ton of party loyalty and regularity
would not rise. AS a result the
straight party ticket would be elimin-
ated We would have no more party
| leaders, labels or campaigns.
Just recently it has been suggested
in the daily paper that about half OF
the people who vote, vote more or
less by habit, one-fourth who vote,
vote ignorantly, and the other fourth
OF the number that votes know why
and what they are voting for.
If our ballot is to accomplish what
it was intended to accomplish that is,
place the best and most efficient
men at the head of the state and local
governments, the voting must be done
impartially and regardless of politi-
cal parties.
No man is dis1oyal to his party
| because he votes for one candidate
rather than another. That may not
influence very large number OF
voters, but it will influence several
hundred voters in every city, enough
in many cases to be the contributing
factor, and to turn the tide one way
or another.
In the states in which this system
of eIecting state and local officers