Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-12-20

the Vice President had attacked the
primary system
"That which distinguishes the
American Republic from the many
Republics of the past, which have
failed Is the fact that it's Constitu-
ton has made 1t representative
Government" he said. This prln-
ciple was long recognized in the gov
eminent Of political parties in this
countr br4 = the reactic- against
political corruption and inefficiency,
we have passed primary laws which
have done away with representative
government of polit'c"l rarties.
The rapid expansion of State apd
municipal business and patronage,
coupled with the Indifference of
qualified voters, half Of whom do not
so to the polls at a general election.
and many less to the primaries, often
results in the nomination of candi-
dates selected and controlled by those
having a business interest in t'-o con-
tinuance of an existing administra-
ton.
Their election afterward, because
of the habit of party regularity on
the part of the impartial voter means
the rule of an o1igarchy and the loss
Under the old convention system
such condition would encourage the
drafting and nomination of clean
candidates by the opposition party in
order to gain an advantage from
clear issue at the polls between clean
and unclean government.
Under the primary system, how
ever, the opposition cannot draft its
strongest men as candidates to en-
phasize the issue. The opposition
party Is as likely to choose unknown
or incompetent men as candidates as
If the chance did not exist to make
good government an issue by proper
nominations.
"The primary system is responsible
for an enormous and improper use of
money in contests under it and is
steaodily tending to debauch our cleo
torate. Since it lessons the oppor-
tunity of minority parties properly to
make an issue of corruption before
the public. it largely insures immun-
ity to vote buyers from political or
legal consequences with resultant in
crease in their activity.
$50 immense are the sums which
must be spent to advertise himself to
the people under the primary system.
even along legitimate lines by a COM
paratively unknown candidate for a
State or National office, that under
! those circumstances only very rich
man, a man with rich men behind
him, or a man with an organization
behind and generally controlling him,
is likely to succeed.
"The primary system is responsible
flor the election by parties of some
men whose chief effort after election
SENS to be to disorganize their party
and fight it's policies. Congress, there
fore, tends to lose the power of con-
structive action, the primary system
of nomination. lessening the depend
ence of candidates for nomination
upon their party record and relation
to their party organization, adds con-
stantiy to the number in Congress of
/ those bearing the party label who
| fight their party's policies.
'"They are aided by rules in the
Senate which extend far beyond any
thing intended by the Constitution.
Largely. because of the primaries.
therefore, we ar threatened With a
regime of the bloc system in Con-
gress, from which il it is not arrest
ed, we are in danger of breakdown
in Parliamentary efficiency, which
today is such an outstanding char
acteristic in the Government of Eu-
ropean countries: a situation so acute
there as to have resulted in the
! abandonment. at least temporarily, OF
Parliamentary Government in Po-
land. Belgium. Italy and Spain.
"As recent political events are i'm
pressing upon the public conscience q
better knowledge of the evils of the
primary system, we hear protest
against it's abolition. 1t is intimated
that those who desire to see the pri-
marty system largely abolished do so
because it takes less money to buy
convention than 10 buy off majority
of those voting in the primary. 1t
would be just as logical for one to
charge those who favor the retention
of the primary with a desire to see
the whole electorate corrupted instead
of the smaller number which COM
prises convention. There is. of
course, no real merit attached to
either contention, but it illustrates
the low grade of argument to which
we may expect to listen in connec-
ton with primary reform