New-York tribune., 1898-01-11
PRIMARY REFORM-MACHINE BRAND.

The talk OF the Platt machine leaders about
introducing a bin for primary reform should not
fool ANYBODY OF course. they will introduce
bill. and it will be bill skilfully drawn to en-
body SOME of the popular demands and appar-
emily provide for the honest party management
which the present law so manifestly fails to
enforce But any bill sent to Albany from Mr..
platt's Sunday school should bc carefully in
spected to discover the Joker which Is hidden
In all his reform measures, by means OF
which the machine power Is made more abso-
lutte and the reformers are put in n hole The
State has had experience Of Mr.. Platts re
forms" Under that guise the innocent inde-
pendents were trckcd out Of almost all chance
for a voice in their government by ballot law
which, purporting TO safeguard independence
and individual political rights. really made the
machine irresponsible to the voters, and ut the
same time made the voters dependent on 1t.
Pretending to take the saloon out Of politics. he
started to set up n State liquor machine for
himself and failed only because his scheme was
unconstitutional If the believers in primary
reform do not take care they Will find their
wishes complied with by law which will make
the last state Of the party organization more
firmly corrupt than the first
reform which is not to be q mockery is respon-
sibility. certain and swift of the party leaders
to the enrolled voters and a guarantee that
the organization shall not be used to impose
the will of leaders upon the party, instead of
the will of the party upon the leaders SO long
as a Central Committee can by misuse of judi
cial powers override the act Of voters IN any
district and give to a minority the powers be-
iorit m ak difference
what safeguards are put about the rolls or
what oaths n primary officer may take. Those
good rolls and that officer with legal duties will
only serve to give a certain authority to any
rascality which the machnsts may indulge in
through their control of the party court of ap
pcals For instance. if the appointment of
Committee on Credentials at a convention rests
with a presiding officer designated by the
County Committee the boss is made the real
master Of that convention. for he can secure
the unseating Of any delegation that stands in
his way The more strict and apparently fair
the law is which makes possible such exercise
of power the greater is the opportunity for mis-
use of the machinery by its engineers.
Primary reform cannot stop with putting Of
ficers under oath. providing just when and
how primary shall be held or just VINO may
IL.
the corruption is of the crude and petty kind
only step removed from caucus brawls. They
do not touch the trouble when it is at the top
The difficulty in this State is that the supreme
party authority is by law erected into despot-
ISM under which the individual partisans strug
gle hopelcssly. 1t is their court of last resort,
and instead Of being a Just judge II, always de-
cides in favor Of the boss 1t is of no use to
give The voters new and more strict proceed
ure when q body is placed over them which
saws what is regular and what is not. Any
primary reform is farce which leaves any
committee power 10 perp"tuaie itself In ONCE
by acting as Judge over those who may turn ii
out. Any law which continues 10 leave the ma
chine as now body having power in the name
of the party without any responsibility to the
voters Of the party. will be worse than useless.
II will only forge tighter the shackles of boss
rule