Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-27
THE PRIMARY
CANDIDATES

i newspaper custom, The Tribune
has taken no part in the primary
campaign. There are plenty OF
candidates .scads of them-in the
several counties and the state. 1t
is up to the voters to pick and
choose between them, and without
attempting to influence them in
favor of one candidate against the
other, it occurs to us that a few
general remarks are appropriate to
the occasion.
The primary election is just as
important as the general election.
In some ways it is much more inn
portant, for bad selections at the
primary often gives the voter only a
choice of evils at the general cleo
ton. The voters ought to turn out
in large numbers at the primary
election. But will they do so?
Perhaps they will in the city pre-
cincts. IF it is a fine day the farm
ers will be busy in the harvest field
next Tuesday, taking care of the
first bumper crop they have had
for a good many years. They will
be more concerned over the ques-
ton of harvesting that crop safely
than in deciding who will get their
party nomination for United States
senator, or congressman, or judge
of the court, or the county offices.
Besides, if they left the harvest
field and went to the voting place,
they would be confronted with a
ticket containing numerous names
for every office, all of them prom
Using to reduce taxes by n scheme
or another. And many of them are
persons whose reliability he has
little means of knowing. In our
opinion, the country vote will be
light. The farmer will be practi-
cally eliminated as a factor in
choosing the candidates. The viii
lagos, towns and cities will do that
for him. 1t Is one of the reasons
why we have always been opposed
&c the primary election law. A
convention would give the farmer
a much more potent voice in select
ing candidates. He would have
representation in a convention that
seldom gets in a primary.
Every candidate is a tax saver
before he gets elected. A good
many of them urn out tax eaters
rather than tax AYERS afterwards
lust as we would advise III read
ers to look with suspicion or any
smooth talking stranger who offers
them goods at half price, or prom
Uses them big dividends On a small
investment, so we would advise
them to be suspicious of the poll
tician that promises too much. II
he tells you that he proposes to
reduce your taxes and increase your
neighbours taxes, to exempt the
poor mar from tax burdens and
pile them on the rich man, look
out for that fellow as you would
for the promoter fakir who prom
Uses you 100 per cent interest or
a dead sure investment. That Is
the bunk twaddle that earmarks the
political fake. The thing never
has been done. 1t can't be done as
long as taxes can be shifted. Anc
they can be shifted as long as the
taxpayer sells goods or services
He adds the tax to his selling price
and everyone pays it in the end
Tax burdens are reduced by spend
ing less money and not by devisins
new taxes or shifting the initial
payment from one person to an
other. Be wary of the politica
get-rich-quick promiser. He Is
SCilCi ally q IllCdh ciid q ldG0'
Party lines do not mean as much
as they did. Try and name mer
for office who are known men
men who have walked before their
fellow citizens for a considerable
number of years and gained respect
and confidence and credit among
their fellow men. The man who
has made a failure of his own bust
ness is not so likely to make a sue
less of your business, and if thu
. candidate has no credit at you,
local bank and they would not trus
him with their depositors' money
it is not a favorable sign. W. ar
not saying that the candidate ough
to be rich to inspire your conf
dence, but his word and his not
ought to inspire confidence at tn
bank up to a reasonable proportion
of his property. If it does not trus
him, then you had better not trus
him either, unless you know NOR
about bin than thew do. or mos