The San Francisco call., 1898-03-26
THE PRIMARY LAW DECISION.

HE decision of the Supreme Court declaring
 the Stratton primary electionlaw to he unconst-
 tutional will occasion little or no regret among non-poltical citizens The experiment established by the which the practical politicians were quite anxious to try, but there popular de sire for government primaries nor general opinion that through them the people would be enabled to secure better government Indeed on the contrary there is every reason to believe that the Straton law was device of the political bosses to check the operation of the official ballot and by strengthen ing party organizations the old system of and-dred tickets which the people may either vote not vote at all.
 We are among those who believe in party respon- sibity and party government. We think that after the Australian ballot has run its and the thinking multitude has had ample opportunity to de monstrate that in electing "good fellows" to office they are mostly successful in selecting incompetent officials there will be return the old method of embodyng political conventions and conferring upon them the power nominate party tickets and for mulate party politics Some of the best government the State and city have had has been produced by party responsibility. In fact, until the political boss appeared upon the scene with his following of plug uglies and criminals party government success Until this malignant individual has been disposed of we think no device for strengthening the political machine should be encouraged
 At present the system of independent voting es tablished by the Australian ballot is rapidly retiring the corrupt political bosses from view. People no longer regard party labels nor party machines A nomination by political convention has no greater significance than that a body of citizens calling themselves Democrats, Republicans Taxpayers something else have ndorsed the aspirant for poli- cal favors for office. The moment the course of events demonstrates that such an ndorsement means nothing more than this that moment politics will be- science of getting and the present science of stufng primaries and packing conventions will be abolished.
 At some tine perhaps the Stratton primary law clumsy and inpracticable though it was-mght be considered step in the right direction Its purpose was to dignity parties and strengthen their ndorse- ments. But the day has not yet arrived for the en- forcement of such law. Had the Supreme Court declared the statute valid there is doubt that 1t would have damaged party organization. There would have been unseemy struggle by the bosses to get control of the Republican and Democratic ma chimes of this city, loud protest on the part of the press and the people and the entire theory of the law would have been dscredited. The evils certain in vogue have not become sufficiently conspicuous to justify such statute. When that time comes it will be in order to inaugurate government primary system.
 In the meantime it is well that Senator Stratton cultivates feeling of hostility to the constitution and writes legislative bills with sl1yrocket sticks Were he once to read the organic law might have cleo tora reform forced upon us long before it is due