The San Francisco call., 1909-01-09
WRIGHT DIRECT
PRIMARY FIRST
BILL IN SENATE
Measure TO Give California New
Election Law Is Started
on Its Way
Porter Names Committee in
Hands of Which Statute
VIII Be Nodded
Special Dispaiob 10 The CoII

Especial Disp0ich 10 The Call
CALL HEADQUARTERS, CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE BUILDING. sACRA-
NENTO Jan. S.-Miguel Estudillo Of
Riverside, chairman; Frank W. Leavitt.
Alameda; Gus Hartman. Edward L
Wolfe. T. J. Kennedy and John P Hare.
San Francisco; Leroy A Wright, San
Diego; John W. Stetson, Oakland; w II.
Savage, San Pedro-these are the men
who have been picked by Lieutenant
Governor Warren Porter for the senate
committee on election laws and to give
a direct primary election law to the
people Of California
The people Of California have
deeper interest in the senate committee
On elections and election laws and its
assembly contemporary not yet ap-
pointed than in any Of the half hun
dned committees charged with the
preparation Of laws to be enacted by
the thirty-eighth session.
For more than two years the great
political parties have been promising
the people that they would give them
relief from the convention system Of
nominating partisan candidates for
public Office. The people emphasized
their demand for such relief at the last
general election by giving the Held
Wright direct primary constitutional
amendment majority of 1905 O00- Upon
the men chosen by Lieutenant Governor
Porter and to be chosen by Speaker.
NJ al
depends in a very large degree the
manner in which the peoples demand
viii be met and in which the party
pledges viii be redeemed.
FORMER MEMBERS OUT
In the makeup Of his committee Por-
ter saw fit 10 leave of four senators
who sat on the last elections commit
tee and who demonstrated that they
were friends Of the direct primary
movement
Senator Leroy A. Wright, author of
the direct primary act and joint author
Of the direct primary league, or Wright
primary bill: Chairman Estudillo and
John w. Stetson of Oakland are the
new republicans who are known as
friends Of direct primaries. Frank ".
Leayftt. Gus Hartman and W. II. Saw
a ge are holdover republican members.
Hartman and Savage took virtually no
part in the work preliminary to the
reporting and passage Of the direct
primary amendment two years ago.
Leavitt fought hard for the incorpora-
tfon of a proviso saving the present
primary law in the event of failure
TO enact a direct primary law, and then
fought just as hard for the submission
OF the amendment. Wolfe of San
Francisco was not convinced two years
ago that a comprehensive direct pri-
mary law should be enacted.
lie thought il might be well to ex-
pertinent with the nomination of local
OF minor officers and, possibly through
sheer inadvertence and lack of par
liamentary appreciation Of the situa-
tion. came within an ace Of defeating
the submission of the amendment.
Wolfe has since announced that he is
I'm favor Of a good" direct primary
law which viii be satisfactory to all
the people"
ft IS probably the merest coincidence,
but four members Of the senate com
mittee on elections and election laws
constitute kour-fifths OF the committee
on public morals, TO which has been
assigned the bills designed to wipe out
racetrack gambling
WRIGHT BILL INTRODUCED
The temper Of the committee WIZ
be defined quickly enough when il gets
down 10 work and some Of the material
primary bill indorsed by the direct
primary league. by the board Of super
visOrs Of San Francisco by labor lead
ers and organizations and by the press
OF the state generally. and the Rose
berry postal primary measure, were
introduced today The Wright bill Is
senate No. 3 the first on the regular
file. where it was placed by Senator
BoyntOn OF Oroville, in the absence of
Senator Wright, through the courtesy
OF Senator Marc Anthony Of San Fran
cisco. who waived his right to intro
duce the first bill in favor OF the direct
primary measure.
The Wright bill, the result Of more
than two years hard study and re-
search on the part Of Senator Wright
and his assistants. and which was put
IN its completed form by Wright. col
lector Of customs, +. S. Stratton, author
OF the Stratton law, ex-Code Com
missioner John z. Davis; Senator George
W Cartwright and Judge NJ T. Dool-
ing, presents a complete direct primary
measure, simple, practicaSIe. It con-
tains no single feature that has not
been tried and proved in one or more
or the direct primary states, and has
the advantage OF being shorter and
more concise in its comprehensive pro-
visions than any Of the successful east
ern direct primary laws
POSTAL NOT PRACTICAL
The Roseberry postal direct primary
evidently drawn with care and contain
ing the essence of some Of the hest
primary laws, offers a system which
viii scarcely commend itself either 70
practical men or the tax payer.
The Roseberry- bill includes adapta-
tions Of the Iowa, Wisconsin and Oregon
petition systems for placing names on
the partisan primary ballots for the
nomination Of United States senator's
and generally the provisions which
have been proved in other states. but
which removes itself from the realm
Of American practicability by its pro-
visions for polling the vote by mail
The good faith OF Senator Roseberry.
who has fathered Congressman Smiths
idea. is not open TO question, but a
system OF voting which contemplates
the elector voting any time within
three days consigning that vote TO the
mails IN an envelope which bears his
name. and which IS ultimately to be
taken from the mails by precinct cleo
tion Judges and cast by them, VIII
never appeal to the urban elector. who
has sufficient difficulty in having his
Ia rIot rouufe6 as marked and voted