The San Francisco call., 1907-02-12
PRIMARY MEASURE
NEAR DEFEAT
Continued from Page 1, Column /.


the direct primary reformers may have
to be plodded along again. The fight
made before the sitting Legislature and
so nearly won stands to be set at
naught, to be shunted upon another
Legislature, and that to satisfy the
ambition of few men who have, con-
sciously or unconsciously, played into
the hands of the dearest enemies of
the movement to wipe out boss control
of partisan politics and the machinery
of government. 1t is a responsibility
that cannot be lodged, cannot be trans
ferred TO the shoulders of members of
the Senate collectively or individually.
1t is a responsibility that must lie with
the men who by their votes have In
CURED it and have made 1t possible
for the redemption of the platform
pledges of both Democratic and Re-
publican parties to be deferred for four
or more years.
If the thirty y-seventh session of the
Legislature fails to submit to the
people of California proposition
for a constitutional amendment au-
thorizing the next session to enact a
direct primary election, the twenty
nine men who voted for the Held
Wright amendment on January 30, and
who voted today to reject the Senate
dIlcnuiHtlll " the same PROPOSITION,
will have to explain their votes today
to their constituents.
SOME VOTED HONESTLY
Some of them voted honestly, believ-
ing apparently that the Senate would
recede from it's amendment Others
voted for nonconcurrence with a full
knowledge Of the risk they were as
suming. If the Senate fails to recede
some of these men will change their
attitude If they get a chance. Some
more of them are praying they may not
get the chance.
1t was not children unwilling of what
they did who refused today to concur.
They were men, legislators, who knew
they had not adopted joint rules. who
knew that the amended proposition as
1T came from the Senate had been
fought out and even bitterly in caucus; !;
knew that the Senate had most en-
phatically declined to submit to any
amendment in its own body; must
necessarily have known that they ac-
cepted nine chances of defeat for the
whole amendment to one for their sue
cess In their refusal to definitely agree
to ride one horse. More than this, the
men who. led the fight against the
Senate proviso knew and definitely that
their own scheme to advance the SEN
atorial candidacy of George c. Pardee,
and for that matter any other scheme
which contemplated the enactment of
an alleged direct primary election law
by the present Legislature could not
pass the Senate nor receive considera-
tion at the hands of the Senate COM
mittee on election and election laws
There was splendid opportunity for
grand stand playing, but If because of
these heroics no proposition for con-
stitutional amendment is submitted
these men viii be confronted by the
necessity of explaining an awkward
situation to their several constituent
cies
STRAIGHTFORWARD MEASURE
The Held Wright amendment. as
drawn was a simple straightforward
proposition, authorizing a subsequent
Legislature to enact direct primary
election laws. In the Senate commit
tee on elections and election laws, lay
mems fears resulted in the addition of
a proviso, which, while it allayed those
fears, did more. 1t made it incumbent
upon the Legislature to enact direct
primary election law or ride the exist
ing primary law, singly. 1t wiped out
the possibility of straddling. 1t pro-
vided a plain, unequivocal redemption
of the platform pledges and it left
no alternative for the lodging of a
subsequent egislature-direct pri-
mary or the present primary election
was the meat of the proposition. Fear
of this proposition, real or feigned,
was the peg upon which hung the op-
position, which, while it will in no
way help the plans of the men respon-
sible for it, may result in preventing
the submission of an amendment to
be voted on at the next general cleo
tion.
The opposition to the Held Wright
amendment, based on an alleged fear
of the frightful consequences of the
proviso. was led by Assemblyman Stet-
son of Alameda, the sponsor for bill
which provides for the adoption of the
Illinois method of amplified delegate
conventions in lieu of direct primary
election law. The keynote of this bill
and its one section which really pro-
vides for direct nomination is that
section providing for the nomination
of a candidate for the United States
Senate.
1t is not necessary to credit Stetson
with the authorship of the bill. 1t had