The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-08-27
PRIMARY 1 Law IS
EXCLUSIVELY FOR
RICH CANDIDATE
Illinois Statute Hit a Body
Blow Before New York
Commission.
"ofAkER sHURTLEFF SAYS IT IS
CORRUPT oFF|CEAolDERs' LAW

IN Election and Not q Nominating
Law and Makes Large Campaign
Expenditures a Necessity.
Chicago. Aug. 27.-"Corrupt office
holders law" was the label Speaker
Edward d. Shurtleff of the Illinois
house Of representatives attached to
the defunct Oglesby direct primary
act at the hearing today Of the New
York legislative committee investigat-
Ing the workings of direct primaries
here. Edward F. Dunno, former may
or, who followed the witness in the
chair. testified just as strongly in
favor of direct primaries as shurtleff
spoke in opposition to the system.
John P. McGoorty. who. as a Demo-
cratic aspirant for the nomination
for governor, was able to speak from
personal experience. supported Mr..
Dunno.
Speaker Shurtleff, who has been
classed as an opponent of direct pri-
maries, was the first avowed enemy of
primary reform to be heard by the
committee. He sat in the witness
chair nearly two hours at the fore
noon session and gave the inquisftors
the opinion of many practical politi-
ciane.
Calls the Law Monstrosity.
SAvor0l n ho
law voiced by Shurtleff were:
1T was montrosity and absurd
as party act; 1t was an election law
and not a primary act; it led to the
expenditure of large sums. of money;
1t was rich mans and corrupt Of
ficeholders' law"
The principal merit OF, the law, ac-
cording to Shurtleff's version, was
that it permitted candidates to make
noise" He asserted that it created
personal rivalry. among candidates
and that its workings in the end
would destroy party organization, He
said 1t had a tendency to concentrate
power In the hands of one man or
boss.
Says Parties Are ENDANGERED. ,
Mr.. Shurtleff laid stress on his con-
tention that direct primaries would
eventually wipe out party organiza-
tion.
1T seems to me that the law of
1908 was not proper one under
which to select party candidates." said
Mr.. Shurtleff. at is against the
spirit of party organization and party
principles. II there is anything in
the advocacy Of government by par-
ties it is in the promulgation of pr1n-
ctples. Under this form of govern
ment a party leader is selected in a
convention of the party and he is del
egated to carry to a successful issue
the principles of that party.
Under the direct primary law the
man who ca nget the most votes is
made the party standard bearer. Some
times he may receive less than 20
per cent of the party vote, yet he is
made the leader. TIL leader select
ed In that way may have been chosen
directly against the wishes of so per
cent Of those who voted at the prim-
ary."
Fight All the Way Down, ALLEGED. +
OF the political effect. Mr.. Shurtleff
said: THE very nature Of the law
forced party fight everywhere in
the state-district, county, township
and precinct-and virtually in every
family. From the nature OF parties
such . law cannot be made to work
and in the end would destroy party
organization.
In answer to a question by Chair
man Meade of the commission Mr..
Shurtleff said that he believed, the
great majority Of the voters favored
the law at first. He added that it's
trial had caused reversal of .opin-
lon. He asserted that five or six
members of the legislature who had
voted for the Oglesby bill had told
him they would not vote for a similar
law now.
Dunno Surprises the Visitors.
The New York visitors were not
prepared for the shock Mr.. Dunno
gave them at the beginning Of his tes-
timony. The Shurtleff condemnation
of the law was ringing in their ears
when the former mayor was called.
He started In this way:
There is almost universal regret
that the supreme court held the pri-
mary law invalid. In my opinion an
other one will be enacted, correcting
the defects Of the old one. Under
the 1908 act the political partieEi
were forced to look into the personnel
and character Of candidates. The
leaders knew that the field was omen
and that II they put up bad capdidates
the people, had the opportunity to
place others in nomination. In this
respect the law worked WE'LL
Mr.. McGoorty. who was the last
witness before the noon adjournment.
advocated the direct primary sytem.
along the lines set forth by the former
mayor.
Il believe the law under .whicn We
nominated last year was good for tho
parties as we'll as for the people. .
said Mr.. McGoorty in his statement.
The leaders were careful In makinx