Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-05-11

Paul F. Flint, editor of the Great Falls Call, candidate
for the republican nomination for congress and self-styled savior
of Montana in a political way, takes the Belt Valley Times TO tasf
because of its expressed preference for the old convention system
of selecting candidates for public office to the present primary
system. He acknowledges the present law is weak, but MAINTAINS
1T is much better than the old control system, and the Can editor
makes this statement without consideration of his candidacy Tor
no great howl against the repeal except from those selt-styed
leaders who feel a personal urge to serve the people in public Of
flee" to quote from the Belt Valley editorial to which Flint takes
exception, while on the other hand we have heard many express
a desire for its reinstatement.
The Call has implied that under the old system it was impos-
sible to bring out candidates of the same high character as under
the present system, but we do not believe Brother Flint can get a
single resident of this county who has lived here for the past
10 years, to say that Cascade or any other county in the state
has had a set Of officials chosen under the present system who
were of a higher character or who have served the interests of the
county any more faithfully or to better advantage than did such
officials as Kenneth McIver, Thos. Curry, Fred Hill, John A. Col
Inns, Anna McAneIy and Pete Johnson, all chosen under the
@spoils7 system, as the Call terms the old convention.
Again the Call is urging the nomination of a gentleman from
the rural districts for county commissioner on the republican
ticket, and tells us that if this could be done it would eliminate
much agitation for county division and dissension between the
county seat city and the rural sections of the county. Fine, but
it can't be done. And this is one of the main reasons why we be-
lieve that while the primary system is alright in theory it won't
work out in practice. Taxation without representation, if we re-.
member our sixth grade history, had a bearing on the Boston tea
party, and it is that very thing that is causing some of the rural
districts of Cascade county to clamor for division. Not since the
primary law went into effect has the rural sections had a repre-
sentative in the Cascade county court house, despite the fact that
both the old parties have at various times, apparently at least,
endeavored to nominate some candidate from outside Great Falls,
And the same IS true OF the state house, with one or two excep-
tons, if memory serves us.
Under the old convention system both parties saw that the
country districts were represented upon their tickets and the
board of county commissioners and the lower house at least always,
had members from the country, and the rural voter felt that ne
had representatives in these bodies whose interests were similar
to his own. But today the voter outside of the city of Great Falls
might just as we'll be DISTINGUISHED so far as his vote getting him
any voice IN the county affairs or representation in the legislative
halls.
True, these conditions and these objections to the primary
system do not apply all over the state, though they do in a number
and counhes-they simply represent the principal reasons for our
objections to il, and as far as our own little community is con-
cerned, we still feel that they are valid objections.