Former Governor Luce And Primary Reform

Ex-Governor Cyrus G. Luce comes to the support of primary reform in a letter to the Coldwater Sun in which he tells some truths about the caucus and convention systems which are disgrace to the state and which a primary election law would in considerable measure do away with. He mentions an "election broker" who told him of spending $78,000 to influence prominent officials and their votes. This of course is a matter with which very many citizens who try to keep posted on matters political are perfectly familiar. Many times they do not possess such information in a way that it is available in court, but they are morally certain of its correctness nevertheless. 

The ex-governor says that with the passage of the Australian ballot law the vote brokers were largely driven from the elections and they immediately betook themselves and their corrupting schemes to the primarles. He declares he has been informed by well known "election brokers" that in order to prevent the buying of votes some method of voting must be adopted which enables the voter to vote in secret, by a method that excludes everyone from the chance of seeing the vote cast. Vote brokers will not believe the word of the man who sells his vote. They must see the vote cast or they will not pay for it. A primary election under the safeguards of the Australian plan of voting prevents this and hence in large measure will prevent vote buying, for the reason that it is impossible to know that the vote Is delivered as it was purchased. 

The ex-governor declares the influences which are now moving for primary reform are the same which forced the Australian voting system on the bosses and vote brokers. This is unquestionably true. The advantage of that system of voting is known of all men and is known to have been a long step in the direction of the purification of the ballot. There is every reason to believe that a primary election law like what the people are now demanding will do as much to purify the primaries as the Australian ballot has for the regular elections. The people will do well to remember that the same disreputable gang which opposed to the last the Australian ballot is now doing all it can to thwart the will of the people as to a primary election law. It will be a disgrace to the state to let these election and vote brokers control any longer. 

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The ex-governor is strong in his belief that a proper primary election law should include the state officers as well as local officers. If the state officers be not included under the provisions of BUch a law, the caucus and convention corrupting business will continue as heretofore. The very worst money debauches the state has experienced have been in the matter of nominations for state officers. Caucuses are bought in order to secure delegates, for the man who spends the most money. Then when these delegates get into convention they are bought and sold as often as they are needed by one side or the other until the nominations are made. What is needed is to do away entirely with the whole caucus and convention plans. The people will never have their wishes carried out in the matter of nominations until the whole delegate plan of representation is done away with.