The Arena

DIRECT NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES BY THE

PEOPLE.

BY JOHN S. HOPKINS.

UTSIDE and independent of the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the several States, there has evolved a complex and monstrous delegate system, without legal sanction, that is crushing out the patriotism of the people and threatening to subvert the self-evident truths of the Declaration of Independence.

So well is this stifling, dangerous, and corrupting system understood, that many of our independent magazines and newspapers, from time to time, have had leading articles on "How to reform the primary-election system," "The danger point in American politics," "Attend the primaries," "Ballot reform," "Politics is an iridescent dream," or otherwiseheaded articles, calling attention to the failure of the people to turn out and run the primaries, to reform politics, and to see that the best men are chosen to represent them.

Preceding every election, "the people" hear and read about this same old story of reform, and, if I may be allowed to use an expressive phrase, they still "go it blind." Are the people afraid of their own power and mighty shadow? They have either failed to comprehend or are afraid to enforce the primary principles of this government, so thoroughly epitomized in the ever-memorable declaration of Abraham Lincoln as to "government of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Our political system, that is, our delegate system of nominating candidates by conventions, from the President of the United States down to a road overseer, is not of the people, by the people, or for the people, but is a machine-an American Juggernaut-managed, governed, and controlled by a few self-chosen, cunning, scheming, and ambitious politicians, masters of political chicanery, for what influence, power,

glory, and money they may be able to extract from cfeal praiticna

Under our presens delegate system of choosing and nomSharing oficial servant, the people have no voice that wan se heard above a willsper. The wicie matter of selecting candidates wetta, and is in faen, left to the judgment of a few wifeonstituted regulators of pubile opinion,” who work under an unwritten and unformulated code of procedure, and in ware device and dark.

The people are tired of platforms and meaningless platform planka, and of allowing any feet of fellows" to set up platforms for them. The people are tired of turning out to primaries that are namally packed and prearranged. The peo ple are tired of voting for the "expedient candidates" selected by the professional bosses and engineers of political machines. And the people are ready and waiting for a simple and praetical primary-election law, under which they may nominate directly, by their votes, candidates for office.

Can one be enacted? I think so. Having carefully noted all that was said under the head of "How to reform the primary-election system" by Edward Insley, in THE ARENA for June, 1897; having been for many years studying the problem of a practical primary system; and having examined many of the plans and State primary laws referred to by Mr. Insley in his article; and believing, as he does, that a reform of the primary system is of paramount importance, I wish to add, not another theory in support of my opinion, but a practical primary system that has been in actual and continuous operation for nineteen years-a system (framed by the writer) that has been used by the Republicans of Jackson County, Kansas, by common consent in their county, township, and city primary elections, each and every year since 1877, except at one election.

In order that the whole of this simple modus operandi of the people, by the people, and for the people for nominating candidates can be seen at a glance, understood, and commented upon, the Republican primary-election call, the official vote of the Republican primary election, and the official

vote of the general election of the year 1895 are shown in full, and are as follows:

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY ELECTION CALL.

A primary election for the nomination of the following officers, viz: Sheriff, county clerk, county treasurer, register of deeds, county surveyor, and coroner; also, commissioner of the third district, one central committeeman for each township in the county, and one for each ward in the city of Holton, and one committeeman at large for the county, will be held at the usual voting precincts, on Saturday, July 13, 1895, from 2 P. M. until 7 o'clock P. M. The various precincts will be entitled to the following representative vote:

Holton, First ward, 9; Second ward, 10; Third ward, 10; Franklin, 5; Denison, 7; Larkin, 1; Straight Creek, 6; Whiting, 8; Netawaka, 7; Liberty, 7; Jefferson, 11; Soldier, 9; Banner, 7; Grant, 2; Avoca, 3; Mayetta, 5; Cedar Grove, 3; Hoyt, 9; Point Pleasant, 2; Swinburn, 2; Cross Creek, 2; Adrian, 3.

The County Central Committee will meet on Tuesday, July 16, 1895, at 11 o'clock A. M. to canvass the vote and declare the result. All questions of contest must be presented to the committee at that time.

The following supervisors of elections have been appointed to conduct such elections, whose duty it shall be to organize the election boards and see that the rules hereby adopted and the state law of 1891 governing primary elections are strictly complied with:

Holton, First ward, J. C. Chase; Second ward, G. H. Barker; Third ward, A. W. Glenn; Franklin, W. Parmenter; Denison, J. W. Scneder; Larkin, E. B. Moffett; Straight Creek, A. Newton; Whiting, W. W. Brown; Netawaka, H. B. Cox; Liberty, O. H. Clark; Jefferson, S. Early; Soldier, Ben Mickle; Banner, Peter Dickson; Grant, R. D. Osborne; Avoca, D. H. Hagar; Mayetta, John Kelly; Cedar Grove, I. C. Myers; Hoyt, Eli Fultz; Point Pleasant, Ben Erwin; Swinburn, Joseph Stach; Cross Creek, John Franz; Adrian, E. L. Stalker.

Every person known to be a legal Republican voter will be entitled to vote at this election.

The tickets prepared for this election shall have printed thereon the names of all the candidates for the various offices to be filled, and each voter shall mark a cross thus [x] in the printed square at the left of the names of the candidates he desires to vote for, and no voter shall vote for more than one candidate for each office.

It shall be the duty of the supervisor at each precinct, or, in case of his absence, then some member designated by the board, to make return of said election to the chairman of the central committee at Holton, on or before 11 A. M., Tuesday, July 16, 1895.

H. F. GRAHAM, Chairman.

M. M. BECK, Secretary.