Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1926-12-29

A new year thought for Ellis
worth: Cooperation creates the
red corpuscles Of community's life
blood. Lack of cooperation, there
fore, means civic anaemia.
Is the Christmas spirit growing +?
Hon. J. M. Hutchins of North Pc
nobscot, who confesses to eighty
two and one-half years, says it is
that he does not recall year when
there was such a nationwide out
pouring Of generous Christmas spirit
as marked Christmas of this year.
rs it possible" he asks, that our
nation is having new spiritual
birth in this age of materialism ?"
He expresses the hope chat the in
fluence Of this splendid observance
of Christmas will sink deep into the
hearts OF the rising generation, and
help mould them to the highest
standard of Christian citizenship"
The Direct Primary.
Editorial in Sun-Up, Names Own
Magazine")
What is all this touse about the
direct primary? What is the trouble
with It?
Don't you know? Haven't you
heard? 1t does not give the poor
man a chance
But Sun-Up is not impressed by
that argument. Any poor man has
our sympathy; we know something
about being poor ourselves. But as
a political argument-he is not con-
vincing.
We waive the consideration that
politics takes time, absorbs energy
and cuts into business; so that the
poor man takes heavy chances, when
he responds to it's call, that he will
soon be even poorer. We waive all
that. The objection to the argu-
ment of the poor man is this-it is
old stuff.
Really you can't understand poll
tics unless you span two generations.
Look back to the good old days!
We want to return to the conven-
ton system, do we? Very well;
but do you know why the conven-
ton system was thrown over? What
was the great objection to it?
1t was this: The poor man did
not have a chance.
They say the direct primary is
not representative; that under it a
Magnus Johnson, Brookhart, La
Toilette can be chosen. The argu-
ment is unsound. That middle West
section has been radical for forty
five years. These men represent the
dominant thought of that region,
and their constituents should have
the right of expression.
hot hun l..
dates. follows populations and ig
nores localities. Within a month
this very charge has been refuted
by the nomination of U. S. Senator
Gould.
They say that the voters do not
attend the direct primary. Did they
go to the caucus of old? Recall the
little groups of dozen or fifteen
who attended the ward room under
the old system, and the term
~spacked caucus of a generation
ago. If numbers be what they
want-the direct primary wins.
We believe the direct primary is
one of the great safety valves or the
nation-representa educational,
keeping government and people
closer together.
The expense of it can, and Will
be regulated in time, with expert
ence. but to overthrow it, is to
retrograde.
So long as we see the wet demo-
Gratis and the wet republicans COM
bining, as they are in New Jersey,
TO abolish the direct primary, we
shall continue our belief That II
should be retained.
And we shall continue also in
certain suspicion as to what is really
the trouble with it.
What is that suspicion? Let US
whisper it in your ear: The trouble
with the direct primary ls-1t's too
direct.