THE PRIMARY LAW.
Will Maupin's Weekly has stated,
and repeats, that seven men out of ten
are opposed to the present primary
law, and that six out of the seven lack
the nerve to say so. This paper favors
the primary system in some form, but
it is opposed to the present form.
Agreed that any old system is better
than the old convention system of the
days of the railroad pass. Agreed that
the primary system in almost any form
is preferable to the convention system
as formerly conducted, even without
the railroad pass. But all will admit
that when it comes to voting under the
present primary system the average
voter is lost in a maze of names.
For a ten dollar bill any man can
get his name on the ballot for a
state office. It is mighty easy for men
with certain selfish interests to serve
to tangle the people by filing a lot of
names for a certain office, then com
bining the special interest vote on the
preferred candidate. It is impossible
for even the most intelligent voter to
ascertain the fitness of all the candi
dates. The ballot on April 19 next
will be as long as a roll of wall pa
per, and contain more than a hundred
names. How many voters will be able
to choose intelligently!
The cost of the primary is some
thing enormous, but even at that it is
worth it compared to the old system.
But would it not be possible to make
a change for the better without in
creasing the cost!
Will Maupin's Weekly proposes a
state convention for the nomination of
candidates for state office, the dele
gates to be paid by the state, and elect
ed by a convention whose delegates
are elected at a primary held in the
different precincts. It would not be
necessary to have a convention of a
thousand delegates. Three hundred
delegates would be enough, even for
a majority party. Let this convention,
instead of doing like the old conven
tions, select the candidates by Aus
tralian ballot, each delegate entering
a booth and casting his vote secretly.
This would prevent trades and com
bines. But it would enable these dele
gates to make intelligent choice of all
the candidates offered, and thus make
up a ticket that would be representa
tive of the party.
Threei hundred delegates at $5 a
day for three days would cost $4,500.
Mileage averaging $5 per delegate
more would make $5,000. Three con
ventions would cost $15,000 and that
is far less than the primary costs now.
Proper restrictions would, of course,
have to be provided so that a party
would have to represent a certain per
centage of the voting strength in or
der to get in. under'the expense. Such
4 convention would prevent an awful
lot of expense on the part of the can
didates. It would be taking the money
from one pocket and putting it in the
other. It would prevent a multitude
of candidates for the purpose of "slip
ping one over." It would make a
ticket more representative of party
principle. It would allow a proper
geographical distribution of candidates
and prevent any one community from
getting an undue representation in of
fice. The direct primary is most effective
in those states where the primary is
equivalent to an election, as is the
case in most of the southern states.
j We have a "corrupt practices" act
in Nebraska. It is of about as much
force and effect as a garden hose would
have been in the great Chicago fire.
The man with the most money and
the most elastic conscience can get a
nomination, and now as under the old
system the men with the money can
come nearest to winning the election.
Under the plan proposed by .Will Mau
pin's Weekly it would not be neces
sary to parade the farce of an affidavit
of expenses, for the simple reason that
it would not avail a candidate to
spend much money. The delegates
elected to a state convention would
be representative of their party, and
they could be depended upon to nom
inate the best men.
Will Maupin's Weekly is one, at
least, not afraid to say that it does
not wholly approve of the present pri
mary law. Its intent is all right, but
it does not work out in practice nearly
so well as the advocates of the direct
primary promised.
FOLSOM'S BAKERY.
Twenty years ago the name Fol
som appeared in Lincoln in connection
with an up to date bakery of the
times. After a few months of a small
existence the name of Folsom goods
began to spread among the residents
of the Capital City and its reputation
as a sanitary bakeshop was started.
Today the Folsom stands as Lin
coln's sanitary bakery and cafe, for
a restaurant has been added to the
model store. It has a building of its
own, with four floors of 50 times 140
feet each, constructed of fireproof
brick. In the basement is a complete
ice cream factory with the main floor
a retail bakery and cafe, the kitchen
and shipping rooms being in back of
these two. A story above the street is
the bake room, two new Durkopp
ovens and all modern equipment for
the sanitary and easy baking of all
the many baker's products of today.
Above the baking floor is a large ban
quet room capable of seating 200 peo
ple. Since the death of the founder of
the Folsom company, 12 years ago, the
management of the bakery has been
under the name of A. T. Seeley, with
T. C. McKay in charge of the cafe.
Both men are working constantly to
keep up their standard set years be
fore by Mr. Folsom, "Sanitary in
every way."
A NEW INSTITUTION.
February of the year 1912 saw a
to the loist of Lincoln's retail firms,
new and up to date shoe store added
the Byrnes Shoe Company, located at
1307 O street. R. E. Byrnes and
William Byrnes are the owners of the
new company. R. E. Byrnes brought
his family with him from Kansas
City to Lincoln and will make the
capital city his home in the future.
Both of the men at the head of the
Byrnes company have had many years'
experience in both the wholesale and
retail shoe business. They have se
lected for their selling stock in Lin
coln the "Famous Footwear" shoes,
consisting of Bostonian shoes fot men,
'Queen Quality shoes for women; and
Little Wonder arch form shoes for
children. The interior fixtures and
furnishings of the new shoe store is
of oak finished in verdi antique green,
and the carpets and case fixtures to
match. J. N. Girard, a well known
Lincoln shoe man, has the management
of the store in hand.
THE WESTOVER IRON WORKS.
"Made in Nebraska" is becoming a
familiar sign on the structural steel
work of buildings erected in the state.
It shows that the Westover Iron and
Steel Works of Lincoln is a concern
that is getting the business on merit.
The growth of this concern is little
short of phenomenal. A few years
ago it didn't cut much figure in the
structural iron and steel business. Now
it is commanding the attention of the
trade throughout the west. It has
grown from a little concern occupying
a small building to an immense con
cern covering almost a city block. A
few years ago it employed a half
dozen men. Today it gives employ
ment to a small army. It is helping,
immensely to swell the total of Ne
braska's manufacturing business.
John Westover is a sample of the
Nebraska boy who is "making good."
He took into the steel business the
same vim and energy that he was wont
to display on the gridiron, and he is
"putting it across" every day, just
like he used to do. It is always a
pleasure for Will Maupin's Weekly
to make note of the success of a Ne
braska enterprise and it gets a lot of
pleasure every time it takes a look over
the big iron and steel plant mentioned
here. It is worthy of Nebraska and
Nebraska is entitled to the best.
Same thing about wool we've been
coddling and petting the wool busi
ness for a generation. - That 'may be
wise and strictly all right. But the
wool output of the United States in
1910 wasn't. worth within $15,000,000
of the value of Nebraska's wheat crop
in 1911.
Teleph
The ISncqin
one & Telegraph
Company
is a Nebraska institution owned, operated,
and under the direct control of
Nebraska people
We have nearly 2000 stockholders residing in
Nebraska.
No other corporation has one dollar of voting
stock in this company.
It is under the same control it has been under
since its organization in 1903 and will follow the,
same conservative policy that has always been in
force.
Lincoln Telephone & Telegraph Company
litis
jjjglillM MMi
One of the Newest Types of Store Fronts
Giving Double the Window Display
Send for free Book of Designs No. X-13
Western Glass & Paint
LINCOLN
Company
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