The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1907-11-06
PRIMARY BILL
WILL NOT BE CHANGED BY THE
LOWER HOUSE.
Refnse TO Concur I'm Amendment.
Offered by the Senate-BnI
VIII Go Back.

4
provision fer the selection Of party
committeeman at the primaries,
stricken out by the senate. will be
restored to the Oglesby primary cleo
ton bill.
80 far as / am concerned" said
Mr.. Indy, Il will under no circum-
stances vote for bill that makes no
provision for the selection by a pri-
mary vote OF party committeeman.
IL the voters are to be empowered
to nominate candidates for public
Offices, from governor all the way
down the list, why shouldn't they be
allowed to name the men who are to
manage the party affairs? / believe
that a great majority of the members
OF the house will take the same view
of the matter.
"As to conventions, favor a pro-
vision requiring the holding of all
conventions after. rather than be-
fore, the primaries. II we are to
allow the precinct, county and state
committee to be made up in the old
way, and then let the committee call
conventions whenever they choose.
we will find that the primary law will
be far from effective as means for
expressing the popular will.
THE primaries are to be held in
April. Suppose the bosses having
decided that certain men shall be
nominated for Office, call a conven-
ton in March. The convention will
make up slate; 1t will recommend
that certain candidates be supported
at the primaries. Such an action
VIII give the men so selected a great
advantage Such a system will bring
us back to the days OF the 'rump
convention and the rule of the boss. >
But II the party committeeman are
chosen by the voters themselves. ard
il then all conventions are held after
the primaries, there certainly can be
no objection TO conventions acting
within the scope of their authority.
When the people OF Illinois, by an
direct primary, they meant a primary
election that would give the nominal
ton for a given Office to the mar
having the highest number of votes.
n we pass law that falls short of
popular expectation, our action will
be resented by the people. Some
people have an idea that the people
are Indifferent on this question, out
they are not.
Russell Case Cited.
Take the case of Andrew Russell
last year. Mr.. Russell. as a candidate
for state treasurer, got a plurality of
the popular vote, and there was a
very widespread belief that he ought
to have had the nomination. Tn.
letter Of the primary law then in
force was in no way violated, but the
spiri, of 1t was. The result was the
creation of such an overwhelming
sentiment for Russell this year thai
nothing now could prevent his nomi-
nation for state treasurer. The peo-
pie took notice. and you will find
that they are watching the outcome
of the present session of the legisla-
ture with regard to the primary law
with the deepest interest"
Speaker Shurtleff is not here TO-
night, but will arrive tomorrow
morning. An exceedingly light house
is expected. MIR. Oglesby will move
a noneoncurrence in the senate
amendments to the primary bill.
This motion will be put through
without a roll call. On Wednesday
the senate will meet and refuse to re-
cede from its amendments. Then
there will be a joint conference COM
mittce. which will endeavor to get
the bill in such shape as to make it's
passage possible.
Franchise is Revealed.
The defeat in the senate last week
of the emergency clause Of the Allen
waterway bill, a procedure supposed
to be highly favorable to the Econ
omy Light and Power company OF
Joliet. has called attention to the
fact that the company in 1904 Sc
cured from the canal commissioners
a lease in perpetuity of certain state
lands. the lease including the right
10 attach the company's dam to the
tow path of the Illinois-Michigan
canal at Dresden Heights at the con-
fuence of the Desplains and Kanka-
kee rivers below Joliet.
Il is this dam that the Economy
company is now building under
rush orders with a view to COM
pletlng it before next July. In re-
turn of the rights granted, the
Economy company paid the state the
fiat sum of $4,000. This compensa-
ton is now declared to have been
grossly inadequate. II is said that
Governor Deneen heard of the lease
for the first time on October 16. and
he at once started an investigation.
The commissioners are to have a
meeting here tomorrow. Two of the
three commissioners made the lease,
&c. e. Snively and w. l.. Sacket, are