The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-02-01
DIRECT PRIMARY
LAW IS ASSURED
Proposed Amendments to Sena-
for Wright's Measure Stop
Opposition
Speaker Stanton Says Pledge to
People Shall Be Observed
Without Subterfuge
BY George A. Van Smith

Especial Dispatch 10 The Call
CALL HEADQUARTERS. CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE BUILDING, SACRA-
MENTO, Jan. 31.-That the passage of
the Wright-Stanton direct primary bill
by the upper house within 10 days is
contingent only upon a well attended
meeting of the senate committee on
elections tomorrow afternoon is freely
predicted in Sacramento tonight.
Minor amendments proposed by the
friends of the measure, which will not
affect the bill or the interests of the
people adversely, have cleared up the
atmosphere in the senate and appar-
emily insure not only majority report
from the committee on elections, but a
decidedly increased affirmative vote on
the floor of the senate
WRIGHT MAKES CHANGES
Senator Leroy A. Wright joint
author of the bill, has prepared the
amendments which will be offered to-
morrow afternoon in the committee and
which. while they may not be entirely
satisfactory to some of the senators
who are not friendly to direct primaries
in any form, will remove the objections
of some of the senators and make votes
for the bill without changing its gen.
eral policy
Chief among the amendments which
will be proposed by Senator wright
are those touching the advisory vote on
partisan candidates for United States
senators. AS drawn, the Wright-Stan-
ton bill appears to go farther IN the
matter of selection of partisan candi-
dates for United States senators than
do the laws of Wisconsin. Illinois, Ne
braska, Iowa and Kansas
This apparent rather than real de-
parture from the policy of the best
eastern direct primary system gave rise
to the contention of the Wright-Stan-
ton bill proposed an evasion, If not a
violation, of the constitution of the
United States
OPPOSITION is REMOVED
Chief among the proponents of that
idea were Senators Leavitt, Henry N.
Willis, chairman of the judiciary COM
mittee, and John Curtin, floor leader or
the minority. Curtin abandoned his
position several days ago and an
nounced himself as content, but Willis
was not so easily satisfied. And let it
be understood that that implies moth
ing unpleasant.
Willis has been squarely in the open
from the time the bill was introduced
and said that with the senatorial pro-
visions eliminated he was for all the
rest of the measure He announced to-
day that the amendment proposed by
Senator Wright would remove the last
vestige of his opposition. and more,
that he would fight for the bill.
WRIGHT REMOVES DOUBT
Wright's amendment simply clears up
a situation which was full of doubts for
Esome OF the legal minds of the senate
by substituting for the language of the
bill as drawn the language of the Illi-
nois, Nebraska and Iowa laws touching
the nomination of United States sena-
tors. All these laws are free copies of
the Wisconsin law, but are more def
mite in the matter of the popular adj
visory vote for the upper house in con-
gress.
Very few senators are opposed to the
idea of a popular partisan advisory
vote for United States senators and a
clear majority of the whole senate
raises no objections to the language of
the WrightStant bill as introduced.
For the most part the objections were
based on fine haired legal distinctions
which can be met without affecting the
bill.
The clearing of the atmosphere in the
senate augurs well for the passa ge of
the bill by the upper house in quick
step time. Speaker Stanton said to-