The San Francisco call., 1908-08-29
GENUINE PRIMARY
BILL TO BE FRAMED
Five Sterling Men Chosen to
Draw Up Measure for Next
Legislature
Executive Committee of League
Selects Representatives for
Important Task

Senator Leroy A. Wright, San Diego;
Judge NJ. T. Dooling. Hollister; former
Code Commissioner John +. Davis, San
Francisco; Collector +. S. Stratton,
Oakland, and Senator George w. Cart
wright, Fresno, are the men chosen Dy
the direct primary league of California
to frame the direct primary election
bill which will be introduced at the
next session of the legislature by Sen
ator Wright.
The state executive committee Of the
direct primary league selected yesterday
the committee which will be charged
with the preparation of a bill for a
direct primary law, which will be gen
uine direct primary, and for the enact
ment of which the league will work
increasingly until the primary election
reform promised by both republican and
democratic parties is accomplished.
The republican, democratic and union
labor parties, by their state and dis
strict- conventions. have pledged their
representatives in the legislature to the
enactment of direct primary election
laws. The rank and file of all political
parties demand and expect direct pri-
mary law, and the experience OF the
people of several other states has
taught the people Of California that
direct primary pledges and their tech
nica1 redemption do not always mean
,
MUST BE FREE FROM JOKERS
OF. first Importance to the people of
California is the introduction of
bill free from jokers and technical
pitfalls; bill in which the friends of
direct primary reform-and all but the
professional politicians are its friends
may have confidence. The direct pri-
mary leagues selections Of men to
draw such a bill were most happy. Sen
ator Leroy A. Wright. joint author of
and sponsor for the direct primary con-
stitutional amendment which will be
submitted to the voters at the general
election in November, is one of the
leading attorneys of southern Califor-
MA AS first termer in the state
senate he won Immediately COM
manding place among the strong men
of the upper house He made the
passage of the direct primary consti-
tutional amendment his chief work in
the last legislature and won brilliant
victory in the long uphill fight, which
began in the early days of the session
and was not won until almost the clos
ing hours of legislative sitting that
will not be readily forgotten by the
people of California.
STUDIES THE SYSTEMS
Senator Wright has studied direct pri-
mary systems and worked upon the
California conditions. With him have
been associated in this work men who
have given years to the study of direct
primary legislation and have assisted
in the preparation of the direct pri-
mary laws of other states. The pro-
duct of the work of Senator Wright and
his associates will now form the basis
of the work to be done by the leagues
legal committee, which is confidently
20 off IN hn Ia LOT
bill for a direct primary law, which
will enable California to take its proper
place at the head of the direct pri-
mary states.
Judge NJ. T. Dooling of Hollister is
one of the most distinguished of Cali
fornia's jurists. His abilities and char
acter are such that both the demo-
Gratis and republicans of his county
have unanimously renominated him for
their superior bench.
Former Code Commissioner John F.
Davis is one of the leading men at
the California bar. Probably no man
in California has such an intimate ac-
quaintance with California's codifed
laws or is better versed in Legislative
ways, always strange and frequently
dark
Collector f. S. Stratton is the au
thor of the present intermediary pri-
mary election law, than which no bet
ter statute of it's kind has ever been
enacted in the United States AS a
member of the state senate Collector
Stratton fought long and earnestly, and
nnaily won the battle for that measure
of primary election reform which a
portion of California now enjoys.
Senator George w. Cartwright of
Fresno is a lawyer of ability. and as a
member OF the senate has served his
constituents with distinction. He was
one of the recognized strong men of
1.-THE minority and as a member of the
senate committee on elections was q
stanch supporter of the Held-Wright
constitutional amendment
HONEST ADVOCATES
These men who enjoy the confidence
OF the rank and file of their parties
and of the people of California xener-
ally are honest advocates of genuine
direct primary reform. They are in
earnest, capable and honest They will
nave the assistance of direct primary
experts familiar with the direct nri.
mary laws of other states. with tho
best features of those laws and who car,
point out the weak points and the mis-
takes made in the preparation of those
primary election laws, which in snite
of many flaws have worked to the M
most satisfaction of the people Of 10