Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-02-13
FORUM HEARS ". R. PATTANCALL
ON DEFECTS IN THE PRIMARY Law

characterized this sort of thing as
wrong and silly. 1t is safe to as
sumo. he said, that the men pat up
by either party were good citizens.
1t was bad enough for men in one
party to assail in a slanderous man
ner the candidates in another party
but when tho candidate. We're in the
same party it was much worse.
"The primary law" said Mr.. Pat
tangall lis an invitation to a par
, ticular kind of mind which delights
in scandalizing its neighbors to toll
wicked stories about men in its own
party. A tremendous defect is that
it sinks into a personal quarrel
among the candidates and their
friends"
Mr.. Pattangall explained that if
Democrat or a Republican outlines
policy for a campaign. that cam
raign becomes cnlightening for the
matter is discussed in public. The
real question is where the candidate
stands on great public questions. In
the IL years that the primary law
has been in operation, there has
never been a candidate in the pri-
mary who ever discussed a public
problem in public. 1t is not so much
VINO represents the people az what
he believes. In the convention the
thought is to get the man who best
represents the party and interests
the greatest number of people. He
then devoted himself to the discus
CHM NJ
do it in the primary, there is no
chance.
Mr.. Pattangall pointed out what he
| considered a defect in the primary
law, that in counties where there is n
big center. the party nomination is
carried over in that town. The prima-
ry, he said also, is rich mans game
and cited the Newberry primary cam
paign where it was admitted that
$4,000 was used while the other side
said that s26S.000 was used. Under
the primary system today the only
way man could be a candidate for
governor was either for himself or his
friends spending money enough .to get
him the nomination. The only other
person to get the nomination woull
be demagogue.
The biggest menace the country has
said the speaker is the grouping of
| voters in classes, such as the labor
vote. the farmer vote, the Irish vote
or the Catholic vote. The worst thing
IN American politics is grouping men
in any way that segregates them from
| other American citizens. Candidates
personal appeals to groups may be
made as demagogic as they please. II
don't believe there's member of Con-
gross today that would dare to appeal
to groups. In soT1e cases an appeal
to group votes may work tremendous
! injury"
| Mr.. Pattancall said that he believed
/ the primary law to he the greatest sin
| gle menace to good government of anv
! law on the statute books today. 1t has
. dragged US away from old standards.
| The principles of local government
/ must be maintained and we must not
! let the desire to accept reforms be too
! quickly decided. We must remember
! that the principle of our government
| must he to allow the largest measure
! of individual personal liberty as is
consistent with good government.
! The drift of legislation is to sur
/ round the individual with too many
! safeguards. too many guardians, but if
we stand for individual liberty, local
elf-government and the preservation
of representative republic. Ike gro
getting back to that sort Of a gov
eminent that Lincoln loved and Wash
ington helped make.
Mr.. Pattansall suggested that some
of the moro material things in regard
to the men who wrought the founda-
lions of our government be taken up
in the schools on their anniversaries
rather than lighter exercises. In clos
/ ing. Mr.. Pattangall said that we must
get back on the main highway to take
| account of the big things and not let
the main issue be clouded Sy wander
ings far afeld.