Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 26, number 2, December 1942

              Book Notes
La Follette and the Establishment of the Direct Primary in Wisconsin, 1890-1904. By Allen Eraser Love joy. (Yale University Press, New Haven, 1941. Pp. 107.  $1.00.)
This little volume is a valuable contribution to the political history of Wisconsin. The author presents a keen analysis of the nationality and economic conditions which existed in the state for thirty years prior to 1890. The reasons he gives for the political affiliations, dur¬ ing that period, of the different nationality and economic groups seem to be well founded. It should be noted, however, that the Re¬ publican Party derived a great deal of its strength from all elements of the voting population for the single reason that it was the party in power during the Civil War and was given the credit for preserving the Union and freeing our country from slavery.
The author's account of the domination of the political life of the state by the railroad and lumber interests will be generally agreed to by those of us who observed and participated in the political life of that period. The abuses of the caucus and convention system which led to the enactment of the Wisconsin primary election law are not overstated by the author. Wherever there was a close contest in a nominating convention, those who were willing to bribe delegates seldom failed to find some who were willing to be bribed.
As the author observes, laws could have been enacted which would have eradicated most of the evils of the caucus and convention system, but, even then, there would have been no direct participation by the voters in the selection of party candidates. The theory of the old system was sound, as was the theory of the selection of the President of the United States by the voters of an electoral college. That theory was that a small number of people elected by the voters would be best able, through mutual discussion and deliberation, to select patriotic men of ability and experience to represent the voters. But the theory seldom worked in practice. Too often nominations were made in private by a small group of men representing special interests, and a majority of the official delegates to conventions carried out the orders given them.  The electoral college has for many decades been merely
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