Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-09-27
SHOWS NEED OF
DIRECT PRIMARY
SYSTEM MEANS END OF RULE
BY BOSSES
SECRETARY SMITH OF LEAGUE
URGES CHANGE
Tells City Club That Victory Of Pro-
posed Constitutional Amendment
No. 8 VIII Bring New
Epoch

George A. Van Smith, secretary Of
the California Direct Primary league
and newspaper man of San Francis
co, addressed the City club yesterday
on proposed constitutional amendment
No 3, which, If carried at the coming
election, will pave the way for the in
PRODUCTION into the legislature of q
direct primary law.
President w. J. Hunsaker introduced
the speaker as carrying a message
which would show the people the only
way by which representative govern
ment will once more be an actually.
Mr.. Smith opened his remarks by
saying that the direct primary is not a
panacea for all our political ills. It is
an effective antidote for the worst of
civic poisons-the political boss.
"The direct primary" he continued,
"affords the opportunity to the parti-
san to offer his service to his party and
through his party to the government
as public servant without the inter-
ference of boss or any special interest.
Means Downfall of BossIsm
"That means the destruction Of the
boss business, and he is opposed
either secretly or openly to the reform
that he combats with theoretical argu-
ments-every one of them without
other than purely theoretical founda-
ton.
"And those arguments may be called
stock. They have been used by all the
machine politicians In opposition to all
the direct primary laws now in opera
ton, and they will be used in OPPOSE
ton to the law which the people of
California have been promised and
hope to get.
"The machine men fighting direct
primary legislation will tell you that
the system is destructive of parties.
Nothing could be further from the
truth.
Gin every direct primary state today
the circumstances under which the
elections are held-the immediate con-
tact of the individual voter with the
candidate for party preference. or his
record coupled with a realization of
the fact that at last he has an oppor-
tunity to record his will in party mat
ters-is drawing the elector to the polls
and making him partisan and citi-
zen instead of the plaything and dupe
Of the heller and special interest tool.
Gives People Chance
"Instead of partisan candidates being
selected In the first instance by an in
significant fraction of the party mem
bership. and that fraction representing
the worst elements in the party, in the
direct primary states from go to IS per
cent of the partisans are participating
in the selection of their party nomi-
nees and they are nominating parti-
sans that they are not ashamed to vote
for"
Mr.. Smith showed by citing the
cases of recent elections that rather
than destroying parties, as the bosses
claim win follow, 1t brings out a larger
vote. The elections in Minnesota and
Wisconsin are recent examples.
"The machine man will tell you that
a direct primary system will shut the
poor man out of politics as candi-
date for public office" said the speaker.
"The defeat of Senator Long of
Kansas by General Bristow few days
ago is a complete REPUTATION of that
argument"
The speaker showed the growth Of
the direct primary law movement, how
it opened the doorway to political free
dom and urged every one to vote for
constitutional amendment No at the
November election.