The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-10-09
DECISION or SUPREME COURT
ANNUALLiNG PRIMARY LAW
CREATES NEW SITUATION
HARD FIGHT EXPECTED
Contest viii BE Over Direct and
Plurality Features--New Law
Cannot Affect Coming
" Election.
Special to The Bulletin:

special 10 Inc Bulletin.
Springfield, ILL.,, Oct. Sit is i'm
possible to say, as this letter is writ
ten, just what the legislature will dt
or what political complications viii
develop with regard to primary cleo
tion Legislation. But one thing seem:
pretty clear, towit that If a new Law
should be passed it will not become
effective until the first of next July
too late to apply to the impending
ante convention campaign. The con
test for the nomination for governor
and other state Offices as Well as that
for United States senator, will have
to be fought out under the old system
or under a primary system proposed
by the state committee of one of
both parties and voluntarily adopted
by the several county committees.
Governor Deneen wants the legisll-
ture to pass new law that will take
effect at once. This attitude of the
governor is due not only to the fact
that, owing to the peculiar conditions
tuAt IltNciiAs a Piiiti1iS law VIII iAtiP
his own chances for denomination. but
also TO the fact that he is so thorough
ly committed to primary election leg
islation as to make 1t one Of the car
dinal principles of his political plat
form. But 1t Is obvious that the in
fluences against an emergency pri-
mary law are too numerous and pow
erful to make Its enactment possible.
At the same time, the passage of
some kind of primary law before
next July seems probable. The lead
ers of the Legislature have their ears
TO the ground, and most of them ad-
nit that popular sentiment In favor
Of primary law Is sufficiently strong
to make it advisable for political rea-
sons, to pass new law.
1t is argued that the only way to
get an ideal primary law in to disre'
gard it's effect on current politics,
and that the only way in which this
can be done is to make the law effec-
tive at a distant date, beyond the
present campaign. For then, it IS
pointed out, the personal interests df
candidates for office will not stand
in the way of the passage of law
that will be fair to everybody.
Ii would seem that the advocates
of a direct primary law have in
creased in number, and 1t is quite
probable that the next law enacted
win be at least a nearer approach to
a direct primary law than the one
recently annulled by the supreme
court. A direct primary law, in the
full sense. means a law under which |
the primary ELECTION Will setele abso- |
lutely all contests for nominations for |
office. thus doing away with the con
vention, or at most leaving it nothing |
TO do more than to declare the result /
and to announce party principles. For
example. If there were six candidates
for governor. the one receiving the
highest number of votes at the prima-
ries would be declared the nominee
for that Office. even though the vote
for him might be as low as seven
teen per cent OF the total vote cast
In practical operation the winner
would no doubt receive a considerable
mart of the total vote. but quite gen
orally less than a majority. h
For this reason there was bitter op
position. at the time the defunct pri-
mary law was enacted, to a direct
plurality primary. This opposition
came from both Chicago and the
country, but for somewhat different
reasons. In Chicago most of the poll
tjcians did not want a plurality pri-
mary because il would take from
their control the making of county
ticket in such a way as to meet the
intricate political conditions OF q
great city: for instead Of parceling
out nominations to differnet factions,
different nationalities and different
sections of the city or county, one
or one ward might carry
off the best places on the ticket. The
country members feared a plurality
urinary because of the increased
mower it would give Chicago: for with
complete party harmony in Chicago.
and with the country split up among
several candidates, Chicago would be
able to name the entire state ticket
AT that time Gov. Deneen was against
a pluraIity primary. as we're a major
,tv of the senate and house letaders
including Speaker Shurtleff. This Ia
auence was so strong tha it was
found impossible to enact any kin J
# primary law except one that was
a compromise between the direct pri
nary and the convention system.
With a direct plurality primary Gov.
oeneen undoubtedly would be renom-
mated. and there would be small
,bance OF preventing any state officer
with a fairly good record from enjoy