New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-11-28
PRIMARIES AND SENATOR'S.

Without Countena nCing efforts TO induce
party or individual members of party to vio-
late public pledges. the good sense of the coun-
try, we feel sure, rejects the Oregon system OF
compelling The legislators of one party to elect
a member Of the other party to the United
States Senate as q mere freak of popular gov
ernment There is no likelihood that OTegon's
example will he followed elsewhere, snd it may
even serve 10 check the spread of the direct
primary system of selecting United States Sen
ators Of which It looks like q reductio Gd Gb-
suydunt. The two need TO he Disseminated.
There is reason why people are Openmnded
about the direct primary method in vogue IN
other states, while all but Cranks condemn the
Oregon system. The Oregon system subverts
government by parties which is written into
all our institutions. The direct primary system
elsewhere extends government by parties In
strictly logical way into q new field. The
Oregon system et its first test calls upon Re
publicans to vote for a Democrat The general
system simply takes away from the party's rep
resentatives in the Legislature the right to name
the party's representative in the Senate and
puts it into the hands of the party at large.
To make clearer how utterly out Of harmony
with American tendencies the Oregon system is
it is only necessary to consider the change IN
the Electoral Colleges. Taking from legisla-
lures their authority to choose United States
Senators and making them simply record the
result of a popular vote has been compared
with the earlier denuding of electors Of their
original function of ."electing" Presidents and
Vice Presidents. The analogy is perfect. But
what Oregon does would be comparable to bind
ing the electors to cast their votes not for the
candidate Of their own party but for the can
didate of the party having the highest popular
vote What has taken place with regard to the
Electoral Colleges is simply a recognition OF a
broad. popular basis Of party authority. The
change we have here assumed for the sake Of
comparison would be mere travesty of party
government.
The direct primary system of choosing United
States Senators will not stand or fall upon the
freakish development in Oregon but upon its
own merits What they will turn out to
be It is too soon vet TO Judge. II was adopted
in recognition Of the weakness in the legisla-
tive system of election which made possible
AddCkS's scsnda lous attempt tn buy his way
into the Senate. and which in various states
resulted in a choice of Senators which caused
widespread criticism. II was felt that the men
whose presence in the Senate was the subject
of criticism could not have been elected if the
voters Of their party in general had had the
naming Of their representatives In Washington
Undoubtedly the new system Will cure that
evil The worst men cannot become Senators
under It, Can the hest? That is n question to
which an answer is anxiously awaited The
system has not Ind time TO show whether or
not the old-fashoned Senator the flower of
the legislative system of choosing Senators,
often not popular man. but none the less one
of exceeding value 10 the country. will he re
turned under it. VIII It result In that dead
level of mediocrity toward which. according
TO general criticism, democracy tends?