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Show w ' PARTY CONVENTION V8. DISTRICT PRIMARY ''We may be old fashioned or even called reactionary, out at least, we ae-not afraid "to sound an alarm against tW Direct, primary law as enacted and' enforced In iom of our neighboring states. It 'Undoubtedly has resulted in remedying Borne of the evlla of the old convention system, which were not really the fault of the convention conven-tion system, but the abuse of It; but no one can truely say that the direct di-rect primary has given a high standard, stan-dard, or more efficiency to the average aver-age of office holders. Under the convention system, a candidate almost al-most Invarably belonged to the party which nominated him, a condition con-dition which in no way holds with the direct primary. For Instance, the democratic party last fall were left without a candidate for Governor In California, Californ-ia, and six years ago the Republican Republi-can party in that state was deprived of its privilege of voting for a republican re-publican candidate for President Town, county and state convenr tions are valuable educational gatherings gath-erings in the training of citizens for political duties, and they must not be abolished. If there were two or three good candidates before a State convention, conven-tion, only one of whom could be nominated, and after one had been nominated, one of the remaining good serviceable men could be nominated nom-inated for senators or congressmen. Sheriff: but unrinr tho Afr-anr ,.. system, the service of only one could be utilized and tho Btate would lose the efforts of men who it would be glad to use, and men who it would be glad to honor. If the present state legislature Is to enact en-act a direct primary law, let them study carefully the workings of that system in some of our neignDu-lujj states. J Beware of a law which deprives a voter at the polls of a choice of cauaidates. Always have two at Beware of a law which allows a party's enemies to nominate its ticket and write its platform'. Put none but Romans on guard. Beware of the man who bewails the competition of party or politics. He is doing nothintr to heln mi rifv them. Honor the man who believes believ-es in the principles of his party because be-cause he believes the people would be most happy and prosperous under un-der a government run on those principles prin-ciples and Honor him more if he takes off his "coat and does all honorable hon-orable things to help elect men to office who believe as he does. He is the kind of man lo tie to. But, beware of the man who is ashamed of his party and who is too good to have party alliances, and too honest to dabble in politics. |