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The Commoner.
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The Presidential Primary
The simple meaning of this heavy phrase is
that the presidential nominees next year shall
be named by the people at the polls, not by
bosses in back rooms. Mark Sullivan in Col
lier's Weekly.
These states already have the presidential
primary as a format statute: New Jersey,
Wisconsin, North Dakota, Oregon, Nebraska;
informally, or as a party rule, Louisiana, South
Dakota, Ohio.
In these states the legislaures will meet the
coming winter. In each of them the presiden
tial primary can be adopted if the people in
sist on it: Massachusetts, New York, Virginia,
Mississippi, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Mary
land, Kentucky.
The presidential primary means just this: it
gives you the right to go to the polls and say
who the nominee of your party for president
should be. It means that if you are a republi
can you can go to the polls and say whether
you want Taft, La Follette, Hughes, or some
one else to be the republican candidate for
president; if you are a democrat you shall have
the privilege of choosing among Harmon, Clark,
Underwood, Wilson, Folk, or any other favorite
you may have.
If you do not think you ought to have that
right,, this page, during -the next few weeks,
will not interest you probably, indeed, it will
irritate you.
; THE WILSON FOLLOWERS
J Arkansas was nearly the first state to adopt
.,-the direct primary ior the choice of United"
'-States senator. That was in 1902; in the inter
"'vening nine years practically every other state
has adopted this extension of the people's power,
; and through it the senate is being revolu
tionized. Naturally enough, Arkansas is not
likely to lag in the adoption of the same system
for naming presidential nominees. The Wood
row Wilson club of Little Rock has called upon
the democratic state committee to adopt the
presidential primary. The; supporters of Wil
son everywhere seem to have complete confi
dence in the .outcome of a direct appeal to the.
people; the Harmon people so far have shown
a disposition to place more reliance on quiet
conferences with local leaders. Any candidate
will prejudice himself with a heavy handicap
who delays too long in accepting the presiden
tial primary, which is the same thing as saying
that he does not want the nomination unless a
' majority of the voters want him to have it.
HARMON
From the managing editor of the Mobile,
(Ala.) Item: " My reading of the
Alabama papers assures me there is a move
ment in this state for a presidential primary.
Leading papers are urging it. The
popular choice in this state, I believe, would be
. Underwood first and Wilson second; and it is a
singular coincidence that those political leaders
who desire the delegates to be named by a
state cbnventon rather than through primaries
are declared Harmon advocates. Richard
Hines, Jr."
Would it not be worth while for Governor
Harmon to consider whether his followers, in
their apaprent opposition to the,, presidential
primary, are giving the public a truthful picture
of his own position?
THE LA FOLLETTE POSITION
From the resolutions adopted by the insur
gent conference at Chicago, October 16:
"We favor the choice of republican voters as
to candidates for president by a direct primary
vote, held In check, pursuant to the stattixe,
and where no such statute exists, we urge that
the republican state committee provide that the
people be given the right to express their choice
tor president'
.WILL SOME STANDPATTER ANSWER THIS?
If the voter la capable of choosing between
chusetts what stimulus may come from itera
tion. 1. or four months Massachusetts will have
a legislature in session, completely able to givo
the presidential primary to the stato; it has
just re-elected a governor whoso public promises
have included all those principles of which the
presidential primary is typical. Between Mas
sachusetts and the presidential primary, nothing
stands except the inertia of the people. '
OHIO HAS A TOOL
Walter W. Pollock of Cleveland writes to say
that while Ohio has not yet got the presidential
primary it has an available substitute In a
statute which provides for the direct election
of delegates to the national conventions.
Obviously, the thing for the Ohio voter to do Is
to make every candidate for delegate declare
what man he will vote for at the convention.
Ohio is going to bo an oxtremely interesting
battle-ground next year; one result of this new
primary law will be that neither of the two
favorite sons, Taft and Harmon, will have solid
delegations. The districts vote separately, and
a district which favors La Follette or Wilson
will be able so to instruct its delegate to tho
national convention.
SOUTH DAKOTA
The editor of the Sioux Falls "Daily Press,"
Mr. A. E. Beumont, writes to say that a pro
vision of South Dakota's admirable direct pri
mary law permits the candidates for delegate
to the national convention to be grouped as
''Taft delegates," "La Follette delegates," "Har
mon Delegates," "Wilson delegates," and so on
a perfectly satisfactory equivalent for tho
presidential primary.
KANSAS
A special session of the Kansas legislature
would be necessary to provide the presidential
primary for that state. A large section of public
opinion demands this. It would be ah anomaly
in modern history if Kansas should be behind
Nebraska, to say nothing ot New Jersey, in tho
use of this instrument of the people's rule.
PRESSURE ON A STANDPAT GOVERNOR
In the stato of Washington the majority of
the voters are progressives and very earnestly
for La Follette; the governor, M. E. Hay, is a
standpatter and 'Taft man. The progressives
want Governor Hay to call a special session of
the legislature so that they can get tho presi
dential primary and so express themselves at
the polls. The governor says ho will not call
the Bpecial session and puts his refusal on tho
ground of public expense. All the Taft papers
and Taft people are with Hay; on the other
hand, the granges, labor organizations, and
women's clubs are circulating petitions demand
ing the special session and the primary. Tho
progressive republican League of King county
(Seattle) is working hard; and on December 6 a
Btate-wide conference of progressives of all
parties was held. One of the most capable
judges in the state says that if presidential pri
maries are held, Washington will favor La Fol
lette as against Taft by four to one. This seems
to be a case where Taft followers are not only
willing but eager to win the game by means of
a stacked deck. Those persons who admire
Taft most and best understand his higher quali
ties will be the last to believe that he would
countenance what his followers in Washington
are doing, and permit himself to be the benefi
ciary of a suppression of the opportunity for
free choice.
AN ENTERPRISING COUNTY CHAIRMAN
The northwestern corner of the United States,
with British Columbia on the north and Van
couver Island across tho Gulf of Georgia to the
west, is called Whatcom county. It has a re
publican central committee, and its chairman is
W P Brown. Mr. Brown's position is this: if
the state of Washington gives him a presiden
tial primary, well and gooa; 11 noi, ne is going
no uuu
1 . t,ttViot fni bin r.nimtv
Harmon and Taft (assuming them to bo 1 the committee have evolved a plan; he says it
ro nnAiAam -srhv Ih Tia not alSO CapaDie 01 .., ir in vorv laren r.ltffts. but that
vjttw uuiunwo, wj , -r, miKUt I1UU Hum. - -o- ".-"' . ".
choosing between Harmon ana mwui -
tween Taft and La Follette?
MASSACHUSETTS
Bben & Draper, Dr. Henry L. Shattuck, Dr.
Charlea H. Cook, and several other of ear
friends In Massachusetts have called Colliers
attention to the omission of their state from
list of those whose legislatures will meet the
coming winter. We since have printed the list
correctly ,and we shall not fall in giving Massa-
TTkltrJlf
It is perfectly practicable for Whatcom, with
seventeen thousana voters. xjuuunvaa m.
Brown would be glad to explain his plan to any
other county chairman who finds himself in the
same position -that is to say, willing to hold
the presidential primary, but handicapped by
the lack of a state statute. Mr. Brown's ad
dress is Bellingham, Wash., and such inquiring
nersons as write him ought to enclose stamps.
--'Mark Sullivan in Collier's Weekly.
THE SKORKT CAUCUS MUST GO
Representative C. A. Lindbergh of tho Sixth
Minnesota district has written Mr. Bryan a
letter, saying:
"I think your suggestion in regard to the
opposition to secrecy of caucus rule is directly
In point and vory material to tho American
people.
On June 13th Mr. Lindbergh, who is a re
publican, dollvorod a speoch In tho Iiouho In
which he condemned caucus dictation. On that
occasion ho said:
"No moinbor has any influence on the floor
of the house aftor tho caucus has once mado
its decision. No act, spooch, or deliberation In
tho house now changes tho result of caucus
action.
"The house hns capitulated to an unofficial
body at tho present timo known as tho demo
cratic caucus.
"It Is not tho first time In history that the
majority membership of this house has com
mitted treason, nor is the democratic caucus
the only caucus to have committed tho offonao.
"I am not partisan In this consideration. I
am talking against treason, and I unhesitatingly
say and I say It with tho laws of tho country
and tho constitution In mind as my guide that
any member who surrenders his action to tho
control of a caucus, whether It bo of one party
or of the other, violates his oath, Is a traitor
to his constituency, and commits treason against
his country. 1 know that In this statement I am
challenging tho opposition of tho trusts and
their organs, for thoy will fight for tho caucus
system, and thoy will criticise mo for oppos
ing it.
"I say, destroy tho caucus, and then wo shall
have tho government that is tho people's. Tho
caucus belongs to bosses and special intorests.
Those try to make tho people bollovo that largo
bodies can not act en masso. Thoy say that
of tho senate and house in my stato also. Each
party hero has moro members than tho senate
and house combined of tho Minnesota legisla
ture; but the same argument is mado there.
What would be done if tho people should hap
pen to elect all the rcpresontativea from one
party?
"It is in opposition to caucus and executive
control in connection with legislation that every
citizen should rise in arms. This system is in its
essentiality a system of tho bosses and special
Interests. It is tho most effective way by which
thoy can secure legislation favorablo to them
selves, and it has been encouraged by them at
all times.
"Tho country has been discreetly taught to
believe that the caucus is the place to settle
political and legislative matters, and presidents
have been encouraged to bribe, using patron
age as tho spoils.
"Wo havo noticed the profound satisfaction
of democratic leaders over the fact that- thoy
have now a perfect machine that controls their
individual membership. Thoy take proceedings
off tho floor of this house to caucuses and there
pledge tho members to a unit and soar over
their minds with the caucus stamp In order to
make them believe that they are thereby re
lieved from any direct responsibility to their
constituents and to the country. Aftor that is
done thoy are brought back Jto tho house to
vote, so as to make tho action of tho caucus
legal; but it Is all the action of the caucus and
not the house.
"I am against the caucus because it is the
weapon of the special interests to control legis
lation in Its own favor. I am for the initiative,
referendum, and recall because under it the
people have a direct control of their affairs and
It enables them to direct their servants whom
they elect.
"THE GOOD MEN DO"
Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 30.An unusual dis
play of Thanksgiving good will was witnessed
In Annourdale, a small railway and. packing
house town across tho state line in Kansas from
here today. Yesterday a newspaper published
the story of a woman and her five children al
most destitute of clothing and food and suffer
ing from cold, who lived In a shack that had
been battered by the flood of 1903.
Today close to 1,000 persons, coming on foot,
In buggies, and by motor car, literally clogged
the street in front of the place in an effort to
aid the family.
While some "big brothers" filled tho coal
bin, others piled the rooms high with clothing
and food. So liberal were- tho offerings that
finally the house, could hold no more.
The overflow was distributed to other needy
persons in the neighborhood.
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