POLITICS IN AMERICA.

Shannon News, 25 May 1928, Page 3

POLITICS IN AMERICA.

PRIMARY ELECTIONS

THE SYSTEM EXPLAINED

"Primaries," or political iutraparty elections, such as that just held in Chicago, have no equivalent in British countries, and cannot be understood without a'knowledge of the party system which permeates and controls'American politics. "The system," wrote the late Lord Bryce, "is a sort of link between the executive and the legislative departments of. government, and thus the policy and action of the party for the time being in power forms of a sort of second and unofficial government of the country, directing the legal government created by the constitution. In no country have political parties been so carefully and thoroughly organised; in no country does the spirit of party so completely pervade every department of political life." ,

The two great political parties in the United States are, of course, the Kepublicans and the Democrats. Their objects, as set out by Bryce, are five in number:- (1) To influence governmental policy; (2) to form opinion; (3) to win elections; (4) to select candidates for office; and (5) to procure' places of emolument for party workers. The last two are almost, if not wholly, peculiar to the United States. "The selecting by a party of its candidates, instead of allowing candidates to start on their own account, is a universal practice in the United States, and rests upon the notion that the supreme authority and incessant activity of the people must extend not only to I ?he choice of officials "by vote, but even to the selection of those for whom votes shall be cast. So the practice of securing places for persons who have served the party, in however humble a capacity, has sprung from the maxim that in the strife of politics 'the spoils belong to the victors.' It is chiefly through these two practices that the party organisations have grown so powerful." In the United States party politics enter not only into the election of the-j President and the members of both Houses of the Federal Legislature, but also into the election of the Governors and Legislatures of the individual States., The practice in different States varies considerably, but in most of them a wide variety of public offices, even including the judiciary, which in British communities are held by popular vote. Hence the periodical elections are apt to be highly comph : cated affairs, especially as the same system of elected officials is employed in municipal and county government,, and party politics operate there also. ELECTIONS IN FULLEST SENSE Each party makes a point of choosing an official candidature for practically every elective office, and the selection is made either at a.party eonven- ' tion or at a "primary" or poll of party , members. The results of these polls in | most cases determine the results oi "j the official elections, since only recog- I nised party candidates stand any chance \ of success at the latter. The party ] "primaries" thus rank in many States, j for all practical purposes'as elections] in the fullest sense, especially when , one pV-ty is locally dominant. More-, over, owing to abuses which are always liable to creep in through manipulation of rolls or lists of party voters' and in other ways, the procedure at j such polls is generally regulated by State law, which in effect gives the political parties statutory recognition. The election of President is m the- - ory performed by a "college" of electors, who are elected by. the States on a direct popular vote. As a matter oi fact, the party system takes charge throughout. Some months before tlu election each party holds a nationa convention, at which its Presidents, candidates selected. Every ' elec tor" is returned under a pledge tc vote for his party candidate, so th< result is known as soon as all are chos en, and the meeting of the "college' is a mere formality. The contest With in each party is determined in a larg* measure by the "primaries" at whicl delegates to the national party eonven tion are selected. DATES FJXED BY LAW. All such delegates are pledged tc support a particular Presidential con didate as a first choice, but if that candidate falls out they have more or lest discretion as to exercise of their vote; hi subsequent ballots. Hence nationa conventions are generally very lively gatherings. Once the candidates o J . the two great parties are chosen, the contest is decided by the respective voting strengths in the States. The so-called "general ticket" system is universal, and' the party which polls a majority of votes in any State, even by a small majority, returns, all the ""electors" for that State. The recent Illinois "primaries" were evidently utilised to select Republican candidates for a wide range of offices. Those mentioned in the,, cablegrams include Governor of Illinois, Federal Senator, State Attorney, and delegates to the Republican national convention. The well-known Mr William Thompson, Mayor of Chicago, stood in the latter capacity, and was defeated. According to one authority, the lillinois "primaries" are required by law to be held on the second Tuesday in April. Nothing has been said m the cablegrams about a Democrat "primary," and the inference is either that it has not yet been held or that if held it was uneventful. The Democrats are a minority party in the State of Illinois, polling not more than 30 to 40 per cent, of the total vote.