The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-03-14
REPLIES TO HOCH.
". II. Stubs Has Something to
Say AbOut Primary.
Defends House for Rejecting the
Hybrid Bill.
PEOPLE IN EARNEST.
Sentiment Is Overwhelming for
the Direct Primary.
Senator Smith Officially Joins
the Square Dealers.

w r. Stubs and Senator Fred Du-
mont Smith both came out this morn
ing with square DEAL interviews. de-
Tending the action of the house of
representatives in refusing to accept
the compromise primary bill.
Mr.. Stubs takes issue with some of
the statements made by Governor
Hoch. MI. Stubbs says:
Governor TIoch in an interview in
this mornings press, referring to the
late primary election bill. says: The
bill: offered to the house, and twice re-
fused, is good measure As it now
stands the party has failed to keep its
promise regarding primary leg1sla-
ton 1 am extremely hopeful that in
dividuals rather than the party have
been injured
THE above quotations from Gov
ernor Hoch'S interview indicate that
he exonerates the senate and blames
the house of representa- tives, or those
representatives of the house who OPP
posed the senate compromise meas
ure, with the responsibility of defeat
ing what he terms "a good primary
measure
LAS one of those members OF tho
house who opposed the senate bill to
the end, I am more convinced than
ever that we were eyerlastingly right
and submit few of the many sub
stantial reasons for such action.
1.-The primary election is the founda-
ton of our system of government 1t
IS impo ssible to compromise the fun
damental principles of law which
controls the primary election without
compromising the government which
results from such an election The
hybrid bill which the senate tried to
force through the house provided first
for complete direct primary election
which involved all the expense effort
and loss Of time to three hundred
thousand voters of a general election
and formed a complete system in and
OF itself for nominating every officer
in the state by a direct vote It then
provided for a delegate and convention
system for the nomination OF all state
officers Including railroad commits
sioners- Judges of the supreme court
and members of congress. which gives
the professional politician the power
to veto the result of the direct pri-
mary. Local conventions are not as
harmful as state and congressional
conventions where patronage and rea
political power are involved 1t is the
state convention that builds up q ma
chine provides channels for the dis
tribution of Doodle. and enables the
professional politician to defeat the
Peoples will The double system
would involve double expense and
double labor to the voters, ard the
estly assigned for adding the conven-
fion and delegate system to a direct
primary is that IL furnishes a field. a
business, and occupation for the mid
die man. The professional politicians,
taken as a whole, are nothing more
nor less than the political machinery
by and through which the corporations
control political conventions and NOM
fna:e men for public office who Will be
subservient to their interests The
railroad lobby, the professional poll
tician, the man who was openly OPP
posed to primary Of any kind, to-
gether with the majority of the SEN
ate urged the very same reasons given
by Governor Hoch why the house
should accept the compromise senate
bill. but Senator LaFollette, Governor
Cunrnins of Iowa. and other eminent
authorities who have been through
the same kind of a struggle are all OF
one opinion on this subject. Governor
Cumm.ns says: L would prefer the
old delegate and convention system to
combination primary with delegates
and convention Senator LaFollette
eays: You surrender the very prin-
cip1e for which you contend if you ac-
cept the combination primary with
delegates and convention system
s'rrhe sentiment is so strong through
out the state for direct primary nomi-
nations that the next legislature viii
surely be overwhelmingly in favor OF
the enactment of such law, and 1 an
uufte sure that we could ill AFFORD tC
Iaopardize the sovereign right of the