The San Francisco call., 1909-03-16
SOlOns Divided Over Plan for
Advisory District Vote for
United States Senator
Rejection or Concurrence in the
AssembIy's Changes to De-
eide Policy of Bill
By George A. Van Smith
Spsciol Dispoioh 10 The ColIl

rect primary bin viii be decided to-
morrow morning when the assembly
amendments win be saxen up for con-
currence or rejection by the senate
The discussion OF the local option
bin furnished an excuse today for the
proponents Of concurrence in the dis
trict advisory vote amendments to
postpone consideration Of the bill until
tomorrow. They were not Sure that
they had the 2I votes necessary TO con
cur There is no valid excuse for fur
ther postponement. The amendments
viii be taken up in the morning, i'm
mediately after the reading and ap-
provsl Of the journal. or the advocates
Of noncOncurrence viii start row.
OUTCOME PROBLEMATICAL
The outcome is wholly problematical.
no one knows tonight whether the
b proponents Of concurrence viii be able
10 muster the required p votes,
whether they viii fall two or three
short Of the necessary majority or have
TWO OF three votes TO spare. Both sides
pretend TO be entirely confident of sue
cess. But when they get down to the
brass taclss" OF a count each side is
compelled 10 bolster mp its arguments
10y the inclusion Of the names Of two
or more senators whose final attitude
IS a. best doubtful
The only amendments in doubt are
those providing for an advisory district
vote for United States senator. There
is virtually no division OF opinion
touching the mechanical corrective
amendments. which viii be concurred
I'm without dissent and the sneak"
amendments, which viii be rejected
without dissent.
DISTRICT ADVISORY VOTE
The amendments which carry into
effect the district advisory vote scheme
are J. ., 5 and 6. Amendments and
We're sneal1ed into the middle Of the
advisory vote amendments. They pro-
vide that the candidate for United
States senator may be his own and only
sponsor for a place on the official pri-
mary election ballot Of his party.
Amendment IS seeks 10 compel aspi-
rants for places on the primary ballots
10 swear that they VIII carry into ef-
feet in letter and spirit the principles
enmciated in the last state and na-
rionaI platforms OF their parties
NO senator has declared himself in
favor of either 3. or Is. All the SEN
stors are in favor or the mechanical
amendments numbered from to Il. in
LH - D
g. The lineup on these amendments is
almost without a legislative parallel,
and were il not for the fact that the
most important legislation of the ses-
sion is involved that same lineup would
be funny 10 the verge or the ridiculous.
The men who fought the good fglH for
the passage Of the bill by the senate in
the first instance are divided on the
district vote amendments and that not
on principle. The men who fought to
defeat the bin by emasculation are
rhghHng for concurrence, and the prin-
ciple involved in their fight is the prin-
ciple Of partisan and factiOnal ad-
vantage.
FIGHT AGAINST CONCURRENCE
Senators who originally favored the
district vote plan, and who still prefer
that plan are Leading the fight against
concurrence They insist that, rega rd-
less Of their personal preferences. they
are bound by the agreement entered.
into la the independent conference and
that 70 vote for what they prefer would
be 10 break faith with their democratic
allies. on the other hand, men who do
not favor the district plan are lined up
for concurrence, fearful that the
screws might be put on a few members
of the lower house and the bin be vir-
tually defeated by emasculation in a
The proponents Of nonconcurrence ar
que that those fears are groundless,
since not Jess than a half dozen Of the
sssemhlymen who voted for the district
amendments We're pledged before the
amendments We're adopted TO recede II
the senate refused TO concur.
That or course. is true In the event
that the senate refuses 10 concur in the
district amendments. Speaker Stanton.
1oint sponsor with Senator Wright for
the bin. must lead the fight for reces-
sion. as Wright is now leading the fight
IN the senate for concurrence Wright
IS lighting in the senate to insure the
bill against the danger OF a conference
and subsequent free conference If he
fails stanton is pledged 10 lead the fight
for recession TO insure the bill against
the same dangers.
Underneath the surface the fight is
perfectly logical but on the surface II
appears 10 be hopeless tangle OF cross
purposes. Stanton. Of course viii need
but 10 say the word in the assembly to
add a dozen votes TO the s6 which were
cast against the district plan, and with
out that word his own vote and six 9th
ers definitely pledged 10 recession would
give the bin two more than a clear ma
5ority IN the lower house.
WOLFE's ATTITUDE REMARKABLE
The most remarkable phase Of the
direct primary situation is the atti-
tude Of Senators Wolfe and Leavitt.
who fought the bin tooth and nail as
81 passed the senate When they were
beaten they threw UP their hands and
Wolfe made every effort to expedite
tire transfer Of the bin to the lower
house. At the same time he announced
that il he were beaten he would stand
FOR the bin as il passed the senate and
oppose the adoption Of the amendments
on which he had lost, or anything akin
10 them. Nor did he take kindly to
the effort 10 line up the senate for
concurrence. He was won over on the
argument that concurrence and the
cessation Of further hostiliues would
be good party politics. Now he is
fighting for concurrence as hard as
he fought the bin two weeks ago. nor
is his attitude open to criticism. II
he wins he viii win on partisan basis
lf he loses he viii have been consist
ent with the position he took when he
announced that he would do every
thing he could DO to hastep the en-
actment Of the bill. ~
LesVftt is IN an equally fortunate
position 1t is only the men who held
10 ther in the first instance and are
ndw divided that stand TO be hurt