The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-03-15
Says Repeal Would Be Step
In the Wrong
Direction
CHANGE MENACE TO
POPULAR CHOICE
burlington Senator Calls Attention to
Fact That No State Which Has Adopt
ed Primary Has Vet Repealed it-COn-
ventions Are Never Fair.

NllaS senator from ChIttenden county
and one of the picturesque figures of the
legislature. is devoted adherent of the
direct primary and vigorously opposed
senate bill 81. designed to repeal the
primary and substitute the caucus-cOn-
vention system.
strongly in favor of the present law and
against the proposed amendments. He
recognizes the bill (S-61 as a distinct
menace to the plan of popular nomina-
tions of party candidates He says:
Senate bill 81 would in effect repeal
the primary law and go back to the old
caucus and convention system. This
bill passed the senate by vote of IL to |
l3 and is now pending in the house. 1t
50 greatly concerns the people of the
state that a brief discussion of the two
methods of making nominations brought |
into issue by this bill may be of inter
est.
"Te first laws regulating primary |
| elections We're enacted in New York and |
in California in 1866. The first general |
/ primary law which substituted prima |
rics for conventions was enacted in Wis |
| conSin in 1903 Since that time, laws
making this substitution have been en-
acted. / believe. in every northern state
| except Rhode Island and Connecticut.
and in nearly all the southern states. No
| state which has adopted q primary law
| has ever repealed it.
| The primary law has been operative
/ in Vermont on only three state elections.
/ The test of its usefulness has not been
complete but the immense superiority
! of the law over the system. of other days
| has been clearly proven.
/ a democracy. a complete government
of the people, by the people and for the
people. exists only IN name. To attain
n democracy is like chasing the end of
the rainbow 1t has been at once the
dream and the despair of the ages. 1t
would seem easy, judging specifically.
for Vermont with her 100000 odd of
population so to lcgislatc. SO to rule
herself that the acme of democracy
would be reached that in the end all the
lpeople should ruld all the people all the
time. But here as elsewhere the prob
lem IS never solved.
Two practical factors outside tho
greed and ambitions of men prevent its
actual achievement. These are, first,
the number Of people and second. the
necessity of skilled men in certain de-
partments of governments. These two
factors make representative government
necessary. Whenever representative
government is imposed. then arises the
likelihood that the viii and wish of the
people viii not be carried out There
fore. 80 far as possible. consistent with
these two necessary factors the people
should directly govern themselves. In
other words whenever and wherever We
can do away with the governmental mid
dlcman, we should do this to obtain
more complete and accurate rule OF the
people.
Above all other contests today is tie
contest having as its object to give the
people more direct participation in gov
eminent. In proportion as the people
really rule themselves, to that degree do
the most common evils of government
p disappear. We accomplished a notable
? victory for popular government when we
t brought about in the nation the elcr-
. ton of United States senator's by the
} people instead of through middlemen in
< the state legislatures. The nomination
4 of candidates by primary election. ia
stead Of through conventions is another
great achievement of the same charac-
F. ter.
Did anyone ever know of n0minat-
] ing convention that was fair. dclibera-
| tive and representative? The fewer the
G factors with which to deal, the greater
| the likelihood of fraud and injustice
= Hence. the convention and the packed
: caucus are the fayorite instruments of
the ward hceler and the political boS.
who always oppose the primary election
1t has been said that the primary
law is the rich mans law. But | say
) it is the only law for nominations which
| gives the poor man q chance to get what
quatety. If rich men spend too much
money in an election. the amount my
be limited by statute. But under the
convention and caucus system, high Office
IN this state many times went only II
men of wealth.
=, - nominating system should make it
easy to get before the people for their
support. Under the convention system.
q candidate must beat all other candi-
dates IN an assembly of delegates before
4 ha In fol Il, al
under the law to give him support. I'm
der the primary law, without money and
without great cSort. the candidate got;
his name where he may be voted upon
at primary election.
| NO system IS perfect. The people
/; may 50 wrong But it is for them when
they go wrong to learn BY experience
\ 70 exercise greater care in making 2
choice. In such cases it is not the fault
Of the system but the fault of the peo-
pie who acted on insufficient knowledge.
When the voter. Singly and alone, goes
into the little booth and marks on tie
ballot the name Of the man he wants n
MS candidate, that is a manifestation Of
complete Democracy. That is right.
Therefore it should prevail under the
law.
i The present primary law was adopt-
cd after a referendum to the peanle.
lloe@ any advocate of the bill pending
in the house dare 70 leave its passagc
with the people? With tho women vot-
ing. an overwhelming majority Of III"
voters Of the state would cast their bal
1 lots against the measure.
We "re mot then, representing the
people Of theastatc if we advocate sen
ate bill 81
accordingly. it is clearly evident that
1T Vermont is not to degree greater
than any other state yet has done to set
her face to the settinG instead Of to the
/ rising sun. to move backward in prog
resS, IN democracy and in civilization.
she viii retain her system Of n9mina-
tions bv the recp'e instead of adopting
method which always thwerts popular
Will and desire and is corrupting and de-
oralizing"
a YOUNG woman in Wisconsin was
married without shoes or stockings in