The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1926-07-08
PRIMARIES VS.. CONVEN-
TIONS.

With the exception of seven States
in which nominating conventions are
held by law, and two others in which
the party organizations have the OPP
tion of choosing their candidates thru
either a direct primary or conven-
ton, the primary system prevails
throughout the United States.
The seven States which still adhere
to the method of nominating candi-
dates for State and National Offices by
convention are Idaho, Connecticut,
Delaware, New Mexico, Rhode Island,
Utah and New York. In the latter
State, however, all county and local
officers, as well as members of the
House of Representatives, are nomi-
mated in primaries.
Georgia and Maryland are the two
States in which party organizations
decide for themselves the time and
method of selecting candidates.
In republic parties are indispen-
sable to the conduct of the govern
ment. From the foundation of the
Republic parties have existed, and in
each election platforms have been for
mulated upon which parties have laid
before the electorate the policies of
government which each advocates and
to which each is committed.
A political party is a combination
of voters having substantially similar
views. Parties, appeal to the people
for the privilege of conducting the
government on the basis of the prin-
ciples outlined in their platforms.
Without convention of duly delegat-
ed representatives of a party no intel
ligent means is afforded by which the
principles for which candidates are
standing for office can be presented to
the voters. Of course each candidate
may formulate and enunciate his own
platform. But such plan is -~the
basis of the "bloc" system, as opposed
to party control or guidance. The
candidate is bound to support no pol
icy other than that which he may for
mulate for himself. No committee
on resolutions" has prepared in adj
vance declaration of principles upon
which an appeal to the people is
made. He presents nothing like
platform by which the voter may
know what to expect, and the voter is
robbed of the right to hold a party
responsible for its sins of omission
or of commission.
Further, the candidate of pri-
mary, when elected, is frequently at
entire variance with his colleagues to
whom he is not responsible, even tho
he may have been elected upon a
Irregular" party ticket His personal
platform may be inconsistent with
his party's policies.
1t is always difficult thing to get
the American voter sufficiently inter-
ested in an election to take the trou-
BILE to go to the polls on election day.
In the primary election, unless there
be local issue at stake, even greater
trouble to get the electorate to the
polls is encountered, and it is only
through the efforts of party mana
gers and candidates themselves that
he can be dragged to the polls. In
recent village primary in New York,
with voting population of some 500,
there were only five votes cast, ard
three of them were by the election Of
ficers themselves.
The result is that whenever sharp
contest exists among individuals for
a coveted nomination large sums of
money must be expended, with the in
evitable scandals following the expen-
diture. The old convention system
had its bad features, but none to COM
pare with those which have developed
since the adoption of the primary sys-
tenn in so many of the States.