, 1925-01-30
The Primary


+ Fourteen years ago this winter, the legislature Of Wyoming
il enacted the primary law, providing for the nomination of can.
didates for all elective offices of the county, state and nation,
outside of the president, by direct vote of the people. At or
about the same time, most of the states of the union adopted
the same system. Several years ago, Idaho repealed the law,
but no other state has yet done this. Several efforts have been
made in Idaho to enact the law, but each effort has been un-
successful.
The law has many enemies and opponents, even among the
people who originally sponsored it, it has a good many defend
ers, but very few enthusiastic supporters. Fourteen years of
time should give ample opportunity for a law to demonstrate
its usefulness, and the wisdom of its enactment. The truth is
that the primary law, as an agency for good government has
been weighed in the balance and found wanting. The results
Of the primary condemn it. If it was a good law, it ought to
bear good fruit. If the primary system is better than the con.
yention system, it should have produced better candidates than
the convention system has produced. 1t has operated just the
other way.
Do you suppose the primary would have chosen from the
the Republican ranks a more capable and suitable man, or a
man in whom the people had more confidence, or u man better
qualified than the National Republican convention did in
Cleveland when they nominated Calvin Coolidge for president
in 1924 or Warren G. Harding in Chicago in. 1920?
On the other hand, look at some of the governors who have
been nominated at the p-rimaries-Goyernor Ferguson of Texas,
impeaehed; Governor Walton of Oklahoma, impeached; Cover.
nor Small of Illinois, indicted, and sued civilly for illegal use
of state money; Governor McCray of Indiana, indicted; Coy.
ernor Davis of Kansas, indicted. The people of the United
states were never called upon to witness such a disgraceful
picture at any time during convention days.
We used to speak proudly OF the United States senate as
the greatest d%eliberatiye body in the world" Since the advent
Of the primary, We never hear of this proud boast. Instead,
we give a sigh of relief when congress adjourns and thank
God that they didn't do any worse. The house of representa-.
lives is not any better. While congress is in session, We look
with hope and sympathy to the president, who was nominated
nt Il convention, Tor protection and guidance.
When the biennial fall primaries come along a host of UNI.
known candidates select themselves for office, many of them
wholly unqualified by education, experience or general fit.
hess. Most of them we're never heard of by the general public,
and the general public does not find out much about them
either before primary election day. Most people who vote at the
primary election, do not know more than two or three of the
candidates. They vote for the remainder blindly. This is cur
iously but emphatically illustrated at nearly every primary
election. Where there arc a number Of candidates for the same
office, if it is a minor office, where the candidates are neither
we'll known, the candidate whose name begins with the letter
a Or B invariably defeats the candidate whose name begins
With a letter low down in the alphabet. The voter follows the
line of least resistance in voting for candidates that he does
not know and marks the first name that he comes to on the bal.
lot. 1t need hardly be said in passing, that this is not a very
intelligent mode of selecting good men for office.
The candidate selected by the primary system seldom is
the choice of a majority of his party, and seldom represents
the majority sentiment of his party. A concrete example of
this occurred in Michigan a short while ago which clearly il.
lustrates this point. In a congressional district in Michigan
twelve candidates (self appointed) ran for congress on a partv
ticket at the primaries. Less than fifty per cent of the party
vote turned out at the primary election, and of the twelve can.
didates running, the one who got the highest vote received less
than three per cent of the party vote. Yet he was declared nom.
mated and one hundred per cent of the party vote was called
upon to support him in face Of the fact that only three per
cent had nominated him.
Under the convention system, at precinct caucuses, where
every voter is privileged to attend, delegates are chosen to the
county conventions. Usually these caucuses are neighborhood
meetings. The delegate chosen is usually a we'll known trust.
worthy man or woman in whom the neighbors have full conf
denee. The delegate represents the precinct and is responsible
TO its inhabitants. We have come to a sorry pass II in a neigh.
borhood meeting we cannot by n majority vote select one man
or woman whom We can trust. The delegates meet In conven-
ton, where all prospective candidates are considered The dele