The San Francisco call., 1909-01-27


It VIII mean that every partisan viii
have the right to participate in the Sc
lection Of his partisan candidates for
public Office.
Return Power to People
1T VIII mean that any man may take
his cause TO the people of his party. 1t
VIII mean that hundreds Of men who
refuse now 10 run for Office because
they object TO taking orders from poll
bosses viii have the untrammeed right
to submit themselves 10 the will of the
whole membership of their parties.
The selection Of their candidates for
public ONCE by the people without the
Intervention of any selfish interest is
the spirit and the very life Of repre-
sentative government The enactment
Of this bill viii return to the people
tile power that has long been usurped
by the corrupt political bosses.
give every man chance TO make
his own fight in the open before all the
people. Do not compel men to make
their fights in the back rooms of dives.
on their knees before a single man who.
become a political boss.
BIames Convention System
Free US from the convention in so far
as the convention touches the nomina-
tion Of our partisan candidates for
public office. The convention has out
lived its usefulness to the people The
convention is not representative Of the
people, not a tithe Of the people. Let
us all have a hand in this simple busi-
ness Of governing ourselves.
Away with the system which COM
pels the man who seeks public office to
beg 1t from boss who peddles nomi-
nations in return for such services as
he may compel the candidate to render.
] do not blame the candidates blame
the system.
Act in good faith with the people.
DO not attempt TO give them the form
and not the substance Of direct
primary law which shall be direct
primary in name only and behind which
viii lurk a worse system Of conven-
tions than we now have.
Bill to Redeem Pledges
Enact this bill and you will have
redeemed pledges made by all the par
ties TO the people, and you VIII have
satisfied the demand which the people
reinforced by a majority Of more than
:
constitutional amendment at the last
general election
Judge John F. Davis explained the
general features OF the proposed prim-
AIRY election law and showed wherein
Il would work as a protection to par
ties I'm choosing nominees. He called
particular attention to the fact that the
bill eliminated that feature which re-
suited in the unusual situation in ore
Eon where q legislature, republican
10y large ma jority, stood up under a
great strain and elected a democrat as
United States senator because he was
the choice OF the people.
The speaker asserted that the direct
primary law would prevent sorehead-
ism manifesting itself at the polls after
convention
Pledges for Senators
Senator Willis interposed an objec-
tion 10 the method Of obtaining from
the candidates for the senate and the
assembly an expression with reference
10 how they would vote on United
States senator.
Judge Davis. IN reply, read the part
Of the bill which provides that a can
didate for the legislature might file at
the same time he filed his affidavit a
further statement declaring that he
would be bound by the vote OF his
choice Of United States senator by the
members Of his party, or statement
that he would consider such a vote ad-
visory and would be bound by it or not,
as he afterward saw fit, or he might
file no statement at all
Ny objection is that you would in
that way make the legislature half
slave and half free, as half Of the mem
bers probably would agree TO be bound
and half would not" said Willis.
Davis thereupon put Willis in the
open by replying as follows:
IF you mean TO say that a man
who is willing to say that he viii be
guided by the desire OF the members
Of his own party in regard TO their
choice for United States senator is a
slave It is very plain to see that you
at least do not desire 70 give any
heed to the wishes Of your constituents
with regard 10 their choice for United
States senator"
Oregon Plan Suggested
Hugh McIsaac OF the independence
league interposed some questions in
timating a desire TO have the Oregon
feature incorporated ia the bill. but
Judge Davis replied that he did not
think the bill would pass with such a
feature included.
In the course Of his discussion Judge
Davis touched upon that part of the
bill which sets forth that a candidate
defeated at direct primary election
can not become a candidate for the
same Office by Independent nomination.
He asserted that under the present
conditions, where a man is cheated