Show national affairs written tor for the park record by FRANK P LITSCHERT statements by noted men recently on the question ot of the direct primary versus the delegate convention nave have rekindled public interest in this all absorbing question all sorts of arguments are presented lor for the maintenance ol of the primary and for the return to the delegate convention some of the arguments are good but frequent uy the principles are lost sight ot of 40 40 0 the convention theory and the direct primary theory are not hard to understand and both sound round reasonable but in election programs as in many other programs the proof ol of the pudding Is in the eating it is the theory of the delegate convention system that the voters gather together in their the ir local communities and select a neighbor in whom they have confidence to the stated convention and after due clue deliberation select candidates who will reflect credit on the party this Is a good theory and it has bar I 1 the advantage ot of fitting in with our scheme of representative government wa w 4 i but unfortunately in the gala days ot of the system the citizens did not always get an opportunity to select the right I 1 1 sort of delegates to represent them some borne unies limes delegates were selected who did not represent the best beat interests of their constituents dissatisfaction arose and ito to this dissatisfaction often was added the disappointment ment ard and recrimination ot of I 1 defeated candidates so a popular dei mand arose lor for the tha so called primary and it was adopted I 1 I 1 4 p I 1 1 it t Is the theory of the primary that ith I 1 the e citizens directly ought to select the i candidates the primary exhort exporters exhorters ers claim in presenting their cause that the great mass of voters would acquaint them selves with the merits of the various can dictates dates dl and then turn out en masse and 1 choose se t the h e proper candida candidates as to represent th their e lr party this theory s sounded 0 igo I 1 good 0 d but unfortunately it has not work ed in practice the voters have not ali ways I 1 interested 1 te rested themselves in selecting tho the pr proper 0 per candidates they have nott nos turned out en masse and the total vote Is falling olt olf year by year until in nearly every case now the candidate nominated is a minority one 4 lo 10 40 t it is to be seen then tb that at the conven tion system was not entirely satisfactory ft not because it web incorrect in theory h but because it could riot not always tune L tion properly the primary system has i failed because it has proved Im r able in actual political life the tee bosses have found it easier to control a prim ary than it was to control a convention conent lon party principle has well nigh vanished and demagoguery and personal politics have nourished flourished like the green bay tree to the detriment ol of the nation in general 4 0 4 the trend Is now away from the primary and back to the delegate convention people are no longer frightened by the cry of boss rule because they realize that they have just as big bosses under the primary as under the convention serious students of political thought are now beginning to ask able since the primary Is on an admitted failure whether some method cannot be found to make the old convention system with its efficiency and party control so necessary in our national life really responsive to the public will 0 41 1 in this they are making some progress ss by seeking a system whereby the delegates to a convention can be selected in a fair and open contest in the various small units of government when this system Is perfected we will have taken a long step toward solving the convention primary question tor for all time As th the a chicago tribune recently put it jt i the convention system can be regulated ad to give each voter fin an opportunity to ivete vote tor for a delegate to represent him I 1 that delegate can be instructed tor for a candidate or the decision can be left to his judgment lie he at least will be a citizen with a special purpose and a special interest and the average man so ro selected will shoulder the responsibility and 1 in 1 1 his decisions lie he will reflect the character 1 and public spirit ot of the community which has chosen him in almost any convention there will be bad eggs and good eggs but it Is almost always true that in any community the person selected for delegated authority Is above the community normal in intelligence and activity at its best the convention corive antion permits consideration and adjustment the direct primary Is degenerating into a circus in which appeal Is made to all the non and prejudice which the electo ial bean can in political heat it has become an appeal to unreason and a display of trapeze work funny falls and trick mule riding |