The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-08
THE DIRECT PRIMARY.

THE DIRECT PRIMARY.
 The Economic Club of the city of | New Haven continues to live uut its l life of educational usefulness. The | topic of discussion at its dinner Thurs i day evening was the direct primary nominating principle with whi1a the people of ille State of Connecticut are less familiar than any other single subject of political importance. It was to at llast familiarize the people If this city wtE the proposed al and tc as far as rDss'ble awake them to the necessity of acopting some such prin- ctple of sclf-protecton for their own good that the dinner was held, It was unfortunate 'l-at Judge J)hI H. Per ry, ,.. chairman of the Stat comnlis- sion having the proposed bill in cLarge was unable to be present and personally ieS, ribe its oh ,;acteT and controlling impl lse He is the best ill., formed mar in the State with regard to it. on the ;,her hand, the clnb was fortunate in having as it's guests Chairman htnealy of the Republican State central committee and State Senator Stiles Judson of Bridgeport members of the same parry who are not in accord on this matter.
 It is interesting to follow the argu- ments of the two sides of the queti n as presented by the speakers Of the evening So far as the attitude oc the commission is concerned it csn be summed up in few words: The pee Dle are assured under the constitution of their right of self-government. That right has been taken from them by means of political practices when have made it increasingly difficult when --,i,yious to do so to exercise that right. The right should be restored to them, or the confession should be made that popular government is a failure. It having been demonstrated that the nominating power by dele gated authority has failed 10 produce the results which are alone compati- ble with a Democratic form of gov ,,r;y ,i,aIn or control some device must be created to take it's place. The only working plan vet discovered is the direct primary plan, which permits each ci,ize,. un- der simple conditions which protect the State against harm, to express his independent will at the polls in behalf of the servant he desires to do the work of the general public, the candidate receiving the highest num- Der of votes becoming the candidate of his party without the intervention or assistance of the nominating and too frequently controlled nominating convention There is nothing compli- cated about the plan Wherever it has been tried, in over thirty States of the Union, it has given complete sat isfaction. It's adoption in some form or other has been considered by ev- cry State.
 Mr. Kenealy, who is a practical pol itcian of high type. declares that the people of the State of Connecticut will never consent to the enactment of such political doctrine, a state ment which later called forth from Senator Judson the retort that that is exactly what the practical politicians said when the secret ballot law was under consideration, and again when it was proposed to have an iron-rib- bed corrupt practices law. But MT kenealy tells us why the people will not accept this scientific plan for the protection of the electorate against designing and corrupt political forces The small towns will never give uI the little power they have left Granting that owing to the politica power of the small towns in the gen. eral assembly, which proceeds from the prevailing undemocratic aystem o representation, they can defeat the dl rect primary act, it surprises us tha MT. kenealy should refer to tn, dwellers therein as "the people" Q the State of Connecticut. As matte of fact and of arithmetic the resident of the small towns, which Mir. Kenear assures us have the power and tn, will to kill direct primary legislation constitute the minority of the popula ton, while the majority will be fount in the eighteen cities. While there i nothing whatever to base the con clusion on that the direct primary wil take all influence from the smal towns, it would be dangerous indee, for them to undertake to stif1e the vii of the actual people, if the latte conclude to adopt the direct primar principle. If necessary they woulo am could wipe the town system out of ex istence. Nor can MT. Kenealy diver primary principle by eounselling tn