New-York tribune., 1909-02-18
DELAYON PRIMARY BILL
AWAIT HUGHES'S SPEECH.
albany Conferences Continue
Green Ans5cers Wads5Uorth.
rRv Telegraph TO The Tribune ]


Albany Feb l7-Announcement was made To-
day from the steering committee which is at
work the direct primary bill designed 10 meet
Governor Hughes's ideas that it would not oe mn
ished this week, and effort would be mace 20
introduce It until after the Governors speech III
Brooklyn on Saturday night. Meanwhile WORK dt
these conferences which have been in progress VIII
continue and the differences existing among the
various elements in the committee GrauualiS dI9
becoming reconcled
Owing 10 the nature of the differences of opinion
among the upstate legislators as to provisions OF
the bill affecting the rural districts, said Darwin
R. James to-day. no effort will be made 10 com
plete the bill this week. 1t will not be lnToouceu
until after the Governor has made his Brooklyn
speech
Senator Travis who has attended most OF the
conferences said that there were so many grave
considerations entering into the work of the COM
mittee that it would be some time before the OIL!
would be ready for introduction. As matter OF
fact there is little probability that 1t VIII ne h'ro
duced for two or three weeks yet. Senator travis
said that when completed it undoubtedly "oulu
represent the Governors position on TINS SUBJECT
as all those working this committee now were
desirous of meeting his views and having united
support the measure. There is no menloeI OF
representative of the Kings County Republican OF
e,anization working with this steering committee
Speaker Wadsworths of the report or ihe
Boston Finance Committee yesterday IN ms cam
paign against direct nominations brought a SPECIFY
retort to-day from Assembyman Green, who de-
cIared that the Speaker by using only part of the
report had conveyed a wholly false notion oi us
tenor. Actually. said Mr.. Green, that report oe
nounced the convention system in more vigorous
terms than it did the direct primary ana was lo'
abolshing all primaries. He said:
Speaker Waosworth's statement. issued last
6mmEFon sn} m Eii ss repertRg against direct primaries
IS equally unfair the misrePTesenta eG IiOn e2
to direct nomination. The Boston Finance S9ia:- Is
mission reports against not only direft pf1 Una of
primaries and conventions. and recon1lleIas titi1
iEStead OF gs Dss @ro1oTaenIat that have ever
been made for changes in the method cf choosing
Speaker Wadsworth neglected 70 quote what the
Boston Finance Commission says about the con-
vention system AS to the possloIlltX o. @ rers."
10 the convention system. the commissl9n sa3+.
This system had become completely discTedlte5d 5
iesoteI % agG no pIsn has been suggested by which,
If this systm should be restored the ABUSES Co''
This hardly sounds like an ndorsement Of fGrraf jaf
conyeRton SysTe; Version of the COM
To indicate the intense radicalism Of The coni
is only necessary TO quote the following recon-
The Commission recommends that there he but
pafed by petitions signed by five thousand voters
There may he some confusion az IlIS' uI1 n5,or
tage to be derived from abolishing party deEg1sr
candidates and reducing the task ofthe voter to
single visit TO the polls - ,, or,oee5 70
the Inauguration OF system Of dirt m 3
would hardly strengthen ms ms dport nf the Bos-
Finance Commission
Assernblyman ARENAS Ward. of NeU York VIII
,-+-odroe aarlv next week a bill for official pri-
mary ballot. somewhat the same as the Prentice
riII ~ two wears ago. That bill the Governor
vetoed but this said TO he so diHerent as 70
obviate the necessity for similar iate on INC
grounds which the Governor took theh- ita'
measure was only TO apply New York city TINS
is a statewide measure It will come here WIN
the approval Of Chairman Parsons and some OF
his organization. but in no sense represents the
opinion OF the recently appointed committee 10
consider direct primary nominations
Some Of the main features Of Mr. Ward OIL arc
e,ts thousand or more inhabitants
second-That all delegates TO conventions shali
he al the primaries
- TbiTdSTbst there shall be two forms OF nomi-
nation petition which shall be known as Com
nstors Petition The former isf~ic which
is the unit OF representation may call on four DAYS
dfTision 70 for which he ticket is to be nominated
committee meeting which shan pe natias IsajasTH A. A.
ths I1eeIns 4ort Of the members The other
method provides for nomination petition Rhlcu
VIII he signed by a certain number OF voters as
ing the election district; the minimum number Of
voters required to be present HI9et and
by at least for each election district IN me
chosen. These petitions are open lot P"Dil' III
sPecI1nb Pourtb The oiciaI ballot will he much Ike the
of4ciai ballot at the general election. The 6i
a name or title or device under the circle proVld-
ed ercb arc not used the official ballot at the
General election or designate political SUBDIVISION
or Subdivisions or the words regular organlzatlon
~ .,srfi" he used. There also provided TWO
spaces to The left Of the names TO be voted; ne ne
nfearest space for votes for individuals, and the
outside space for votes for groups. This makes II
3ossibIe for the ticket to voted in three ways
Mr. Ward has attempted much as possible,
IN simplify the primary election laws without
materially changing them his desire peihs 70
ret az nearly a uniform law for the whole state
as posgible while the same 5ime recognizing
the differences in conditions between the city and
country districts. He has kept. as much as
nozsibIe to the divisions and numbering of the
consolidated laws introduced this session and
which are expected 10 be all passed by the Sen
ate during the next week or two.