The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-03-16

HffifH Unf in fhr rnfuina Proceeding
N.lfV bad n tHDt hf ihc dIfoei primary
Hrf Unpn ub lN ile elsie Federation
emil Submitted t6 Soc select srraic tom
miites which haa senate nll 80. \ uu.
lpr lfs consideration and he used % as
lHs.t for criticism in ihc ronsilrfa.
iiuu of She measure introduced by Sen.
aiof Dhluugwofth.
Deputy Attorney whitney spoke ON
the principles Of primary elections az
considerable length. lie declared that
the idca involved was, substantially,
that instead of parties W. convention
nominating men for public office that
the nominations be secured by election.
lie said that IL would do away with
party caucus, party primaries and party
conventions. He declared that the nom
nation hy direct vote would accomplish
all these at once and that the wishes
Of the voter would secure direct appi.
, cation and effectiveness. Whitney ar.
gued that 1t would evcntuate TO the
benefit OF the parties and the direct
nomination system takes for granted
that politics runs in parties, and cannot
be considered in any other light. lie
stated that the direct primary seeks the
platform first and not that the party
platform should be determined by the
delegates to conventions.
Questions By Senators
In response 10 question from Sen.
ator Smith, Mr.. Dickey said that the
Give Federation 5 idea of direct pr-
mary bill had been drawn up and sub.
mitted TO the Senate select committee
ON election laws and was intended sim
ply to give the Senate committee the
view of the Federation on the sub
| icct. Dickey said that he would have
! fifteen copies of il prepared and each
| Senator provided with one, the sugges-
tion being approved by Chairman
Kmdsen.
Emmeluth did not agree with the
ideas of the Civic Federation as ex.
pressed by Dickey in regard to allow
| ing the nomination of Independent
candidates after the holding of the di'
/ rect primary. He declared with EN-
phass that such a provision was in OPP
position to the real intent of the direct
primary principle. All have their in
nings at the direct primary, he argued
and it would needlessly complicatc
things to allow independent candidates
/ to come forward in unrestricted mum
bers after its conclusion.
With an apology to Chairman Knud
sen for his deviation from the course
of the discussion, Emmeluth declared
that the problem of getting the people
to come forward and express theil
wishes was the substance Of the whole
thing. Then he said:
of the good people of the Punahor
district had come out, John Hughes
would have b-en elected to this body
without n Doubt.
The Senate received this reference
to the political past in silence, ant
there We're no comments volunteered
by the members of the upper house.
Senators Smith and Fairchild hat
decided objections to the specification
in the direct primary bill making i
necessary for a voter to declare hi
party affiliations. The wording of thu
provision is as follows:
"Anv person desiring to vote at
primary shall state his name, residenc
and party afiliation to the inspector
of election, one of whom shall there
upon announce the same in distinc
tone of voice sufficiently loud to b
heard by all persons in the pollini
place. If the person desiring to vot
is not challenged. one of the primar,
judges shall give TO him one, and onl,
one primary ballot of the politica
party with which he declared himsel
affiliated, on the back of which sue
inspector shall indorse his initial j
such manner that it may be seen whe
the ballot is properly folded. -
) Provision Is Criticized.
This provision was subjected to crit
icism, and Senators Smith and Fai1
child declared that they thought, j
practical operation, it would be play
ing into the hands of the machine,
which the direct primary was express
ly designed to prevent.
e " As far as ! can see" said Ser
: ator Smith. "ths would certainly II
: suit in placing more power in the hand
of the organization, so-called the 'mi
? chine.
Senator Mccarthy, who does nj
champion the cause of the direct pr
e mary, read an extract from an artic
S in Harper's Weekly, quoting the view
| us tADlNHeNh ny hpbhuiihh
), of Cornell on the application of IL
direct primary principle in the Sta
: of New York, as advocated by Cover
e or Hughes. The distinguished ed
: Gator gives an opinion formed upc
practical Investigations in Stat
: where the primary law has been trie
= and his opinion is distinctly unfavo
7 able.
+ Dickey agreed with the conclusion
e that the power of the chooses" won
d not be lessened by the operation I
e the direct primary. But he insistt
! that it would lessen the potency I
J. the "bosses" by bringing out the pc
$ pie and by giving life to numb
J. of minor-degree Chooses all
which would go 10 prevent strong al
I unassailable Capitalization of polite
/ power in the hands of one man.
= Senator Fairchild asked why the
!, rect primary would be more effecti'
d in bringing out the people than al
q other election laws. Dckey repli'
e that the operation of the primary la
d has proven it to be true. and it h
IS also stimulated a general interest tn
tended to enlightenment on gener
E political conditions.
y w. o. Smiths View.