New-York tribune., 1909-01-25
TIA GorERNoR ON PRIMARIES


The Governors speech before the Hughes Al
lance on Friday night probably opens his cam
paign in favor of direct nominations. While the
subject is pending he will undoubtedly follow his
custom of talking il over with the public. When
the bill is presented to the Legislature he will
go into its details in his addresses. and before
the session is over there will be formed an in
telligent public opinion on the merits Of the
system in detail, which opinion will determine
the fate of the legislation. With that course no
one can quarrel. The Governor himself disposed
Of the argument that he should not urge the
direct primary system because no declaration in
favor of it was contained in the Republican
platform. Mr.. Hughess position was well known
when he nominated He reiterated 1t often
during the campaign, and doubtless one reason
for his election was his advocacy of primary
reform. The Governors duty is clear. AS for
other representatives of the party, if the public
demands primary reform strongly when the
Governor gets through with his argument in its
favor as it did the antigambling legislation last
year and the public service legislation the year
before, the colorless declaration in the Repub-
lican platform will not be held as sufficient to
absoye them from their responsibilities
In his speech the Governor answered suffi-
ciently the argument that the state will be get
ting away from a representative form Of gov
ernment If it nominates candidates by popular
vote. If we may elect officials by popular vote.
why may we not also nominate them by popular
vote: asks the Governor. In fact, ii Is In the
hope that the new system of nominations will
give the country a more truly representative gov
ernment that its advocates support it. Officials
have TOO often represented some one else than
the people. They have represented the machine,
the boss or the special interests that have more
and in cont their
vantage to use the machine and the boss. 1t is
believed that if the people take the power of
making nominations directly into their own
hands and make the best use of their oppor-
tunities they will have real representatives in
office
The Governor is on solid ground when he
SAYS that provisions of the general election law,
improved in accordance with the states eXpe
rience with its weaknesses, be applied TO
the primary. Every step in primary reform has
been in this direction. The primary has been
a gradual evolution. and has tended steadily to
become more and more like the general election,
subject constantly to legislative regulations
borrowed from the election laws. II sprang
originally from the caucus. First the people
objected TO the caucus because OF its unrepre
sentative character Then there grew up the
custom Of electing the members of a caucus for
the specific purpose of making nominations, and
this body was called the nominating convention
Elections of delegates to nominating conventions
were at first very informal and subject to no
restrictions. At that time states doubted their
authority to regulate party gatherings, parties
being regarded as voluntary associations, like
clubs or churches, and no more subject TO legal
interference. First attempts to regulate were
very tentative the states merely passing op-
tional primary laws.
Gradually one provision after another that had
been found necessary 10 promote honesty III the
general elections was applied TO the primary
elections. and now the primary tends to become
essentially another election, to be conducted
the regular election is and under similar safe
guards, with enrolment In advance, under
official supervision. with an official ballot and
subject to corrupt practices act The states
where the direct primaries have resulted In the
greatest abuses have not gone far enough in
applying the election laws TO them or have not
had election laws sufficiently developed to pro-
duce the right results. Still. though that ar
pears to he the whole problem. the details of 1t
are full of difficulties. If the Governor solves
the problem of an enrolment which will reduce
frauds TO minimum, but which will not defeat
one of the purposes Of the direct system by
Guiding too many from the primaries he Will
give powerful impetus to the movement every
where.