The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-01

Mr.. George L. Record, ex-Demoerat ana
free trader, and all-the-time poseur, de-
livered an address in Brooklyn, one even
ing this week, upon a scheme OF primary
reform of which he claims TO be in
ventor. and which is at least Identified
with his name. TIL purpose of the plan
is to overthrow "bossism'' in politics by
depriving leaders of all influence over the
selection of candidates for elective offices.
The plan itself consists in holding the
primary polls on one of the days Of regis
tration. under the conduct of the election
officers n with the same statutory safe
guards that surround the elections them
selves.
The idea seems plausible enough on the
surface, but a very mall amount of study
develops fully as many objections TO y
as apply to any existing system. In the
first place. it is not clear that the hap
hazard choice of the primary voters would
secure any better class of candidates thar
QOtS liz COCi JuO6AiSA
selishness, if it be any way enlightened.
must aim at supplying the public with
efficient servants as the surest sort OF Did
for continuous party success. Even grant
ing that the bosses make mistakes ana
that they are often stupid and fatuous
as well as corrupt and selfish, yet 1t is
-.----4z.z,.- n olafp, fbaf fha np0nle are
infallible, for setting aside the disputable
results of the recent election in this State
and New York, we presume that not even
Mr.. Record will dispute the monstrosity of
the endorsement which the State of Penn
sylvania bestowed upon Senator Matthew
stanley Quay, by voting like sheep for
the candidates of his selection when there
were able and high-minded men, Of un-
blemished repute contesting the issue.
Let us grant, however, that the purpose
of Mr.. Records primary plan is unassail-
able, the next question is as TO how 1t
will work, in practice. We nave no hesi-
tation in saying that it either becomes a
farce itself or else it renders the blanket
ballot and all the oher prevailing secrecy
precautions farcical. The effect of it was
shown in working order during the cam
paign just closed in New York. Ali the
newspapers one day reported a typical
case, that of a simple Irish-American
voter who visited the poll of his precinct
to register.
do you wish to vote at the primary
election of your party?'' asked the pre-
siding election officer.
"Of course, sir, I want everything that
I'm entitled to- was the reply.
well, which party?" was the next
question.
Sure, sir, if I tell you that, what is the
use of your secret ballot, that I read SO
much about?" asked the Irishman in
reply.
And nobody could answer.
In other words, a voter, under Mr..
Records plan, must either disclose his
vote or conceal it by voting the primary
ticket of the party to which he is hostile,
The notion that the control of the
primaries by the. regular election officers
would place them above suspicion appears
very ridiculous in the light of the COM
plants which Mr.. Records new party is
son County cast for Elvin w. Crane.
They simply will not be persuaded that it
was honest. and their newspapers are
clamoring for a Legislative investigation
of it. Quite possibly MI. Record himself
is suspicious. He must find it hard to
understand that the Democracy should
1t. Now, Of course. we known and assert
that the vote was strictly honest, but we
quote the scepticism of the Republican
and a part Of the independent press to
show that Mr.. Records scheme would
carry no more confidence with it in the
public mind than does the ballot reform
was the one thing needful to convert
politics into a sort of Sunday school per-
formance.
II MI Record were a candidate under
his own scheme, as he was once before.
and were beaten, as he certainly would
be, not all the mechanical PROJECTIONS,
that his super-ingenious brain might have
devised, would keep him from sulking-as