The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1922-05-18
Where the Direct Primary Fails

(From an address by former Justice
Woodward, of the supreme court of
New York, at the dinner of the Brook
Ign Bar association in honor of former
Justice Putnam)
As has been said, Judge Putnam is
il, every essential a product of the civ
ilizatiOn, the government, the customs
ana the traditions of New England,
and, according to De Tocqueville, the
greatest factor in producing the politi-
cal thought which crystallized into
government there was the town meet
ing.
That institution, according 90 the
scholars, had Teutonic origin and
was transported to England, where it
became an efficient agency in govern
ment and thence to New England
where the system reached its perfec-
ton Through the town meeting every
citizen had a hearing. The poor man
and lowly met and debated with the
rich and exalted on equal terms over
their town affairs. That system spread /
from New England throughout the |
United States. and all the states were /
divided into counties, the counties into |
towns and the town became the unit o.
government the real place of political
initiative So that when political con-
Ventions became the bodies from which
emanated the nominees of the various
parties for office this town unit be
came the base of the column
In a county convention each town
was represented by delegates selected
by contests conducted by the voters OF
the respective political parties within
The towns. The method was for a can
1idate who wanted to be nominated for
office to go into town and if the town
VAS entitled to, we will say six dele
gates, he enlisted the support of as
many citizens as possible, selected his !
delegates with due geographical care !
md his opponent did likewise, thus !
distributing the proposed delegates in +
he various sections of the town Then c
battle royal occurred to see which oe
hose citizens of that town should at
end the county convention and make
he nominations for the county offices
When they assembled with the dele
ates from the other towns at the y
lace where the convention was to be Il
ED a list of the towns and list of p
he delegates selected from the several Il
WINS was made, and when it was in ID
der to nominate the candidate the
wn was called and the representa- ie
YES of the town called delegates y"
ere called by name and recorded their q
ioice for a candidate for the office to .,
filled. Like conventions were heidi y,
r the nomination of members of the ~
sembly in assembly districts, for the "
ate senators in the senatorial dis ps
lets. for members of congress in con '"
essional districts. 81
At these assembly district conven-
ms delegates were chosen to repre- an
Mt the district in state and judicial he
INVENTIONS and these representatives tel
tn their credentials attended those tn
dies and participated in the seIec- 10
N of candidates for all the state pa
ctive officers and the justices of the in
preme court These conventions SUI
lde it possible for delegates from yei
en- of the towns composing the coun- eol
or the assembly, senatorial or con- yOl
sss district to meet and become per adj
rally acquainted 1t permitted all pol
delegates assembled to see and ito
DIV the public men who aspired to pet
d the offices. sys
his acquaintance was of the highest 1
itical value and since the discon- sat
lance of the convention system VIII
re are no similar political gatherings or
which representative men and wom- II
assemble, and ] have frequently VIII,
I'd people who used to be interested int
these meetings say that under the the
sent system they had ceased to VIII,
W their public officers even by wro
It, and that they never have occa- uge
to meet with any considerable of
iber of their fellow citizens to talk wor
? political affairs Certainly this that
taking a great deal out of the po- peol
al life of the state. a. "
his method of having large num- Con