The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-01-16
The Wrong Direction

Recommendation by Governor Leslie that the pri-
mary law be repealed in so far it affects United
States senator's the Governor and presidential pref
erence was to be expected.
Members of the legislature will probably estimate
that bit of advice at its proper value.
No one would expect Leslie to be personally or
politically favorable to that method Of translatng the
popular will into government.
The legislature has only to remember the vote in
the recent primaries to find the answer.
AS a candidate in the primaries, Leslie was a poor
fifth Very few voters OF the Republican party de-
sired him And yet the voters of the Republican
party took very lively interest in that primary. APP
proximately 100000 men and women registered their
choice and to this extent showed an interest in their
government and in their party.
There were four other candidates who received
larger vote than did the Governor There was Schorte
meier leading, with Fred Lands running close;
Tom Adams, with more than twice the votes OF Les
lie and Charles Jewett with his following.
1t was a convention, not primary, which gave
Leslie nomination which, under the sweeping pop
ularty of Herbert Hoover and the deep antagonis to
Smith, was really an election.
1t is easy to understand that Leslie would have
no faith in the theory that the people really COM
petent to name their own candidates. He must, by
the very nature of his own success, have trust IN
the manipulations of convention where the accident
of an adjournment, a mistake in notatons, could
switch the victory to those who may be the chill
dren of destiny but are not recognized at the home
fires.
While it is true that he might point to the nomi-
nation of Robinson or a Watson as evidence of the
failure of the primary there needs but to be presented
in the answer the picture of the federal patronage
controlled by senators the basis Of machine which
would surely dominate any convention in which they
were interested
The primary law needs amendment, not destruction
It only fails in its purpose when it is possible as
was done in the last primaries to inject dozen or
more candidates with merely local folowings and no
real merit men with vanity and ambitions easily fiat
tered but futile into in order to divide and con-
fuse the people.
There surely can be no real argument against
presidential preference. The need Of such weapon
was demonstrated by the votes of the thousands
in this state for Herbert Hoover who, without such
a chance would have had opportunity to present
evidence of his strong popular appeal against favor
lite SON. there regrets at the statehouse that
Watson is not headed for the Whitehouse?
Instead of repeal there should be provisions Tor
a run off" primary What would have happened had
there been contest clean cut and direct last spring
between Schortemeier and Lands, the two leading
candidates for Governor?
The majority in the party would then determine
The people would have voice Public offices would
not be put upon the auction block settled by deals
in back rooms between politicians whose only inter-
est is in the grabbing of power and plumber and
patronage
Let it be hoped that the Governor will review his
message and advise the legislature that the cure for
the evils of popular government is to make government
more popular.