New-York tribune., 1909-03-28

for n ,s obvious that the principle OF direct
election OF party committeeman oy ,,Ia .ne pS1
voters and Of giving to such committeeman q. =
vote fairly proportioned TO the party LoiS+4
of their respective districts can reanlly u ~
piled with variations OF detail Inc p'T n,an oF
OF the bill have been worked ~nt oy 4foiTs
large acquaintance with ponti!caI Jaaira
throughout the state and with the slIcete 4a
TO provide a perfectly fair basis OF req. pa+ioo
tion and Ii is desirable that II any c0IFeC
is needed TO accomplish this result W4'nouI ,;s
parture from the principle II snoulo DC +itid to
These committees so constituted are entitteu "
designate or propose candidates Tor nohllndl!oh n
for public Offices to be filed within tne Iespro s,,
roittee would designate candidates for state Of
Aces 70 be filed by voters OF the enllTe staee
the county committee tor coun.s For Sen
tortal and Assembly district commune tot e.
ators and Assemblymen, city coIttliiit comm. e as
city officers, judicial district committees 1oi JUS
+ices Of the Supreme Court, etc
But these committees can only susgeSt ~ caIIui-
dates. they cannot nominate them other can
didates may be designated or proposed Cg tie
fhosa desienated by party committees and those
DESIGNATED by petition, must be voted LOT a. tne
party primary. and the canoioa'e ~HG di-sct vote
nomination is the one SeleCteo OS o
of the party voters 49,. .,ooe+e1
both by party committees and by petlion, ea.e
oonSt6s+ee for barty postIons-that Is for cleo
ton to the party commlttees--ddle oliis Se,g
designated by petition ana nose -S 80 .iar+eed
mated are voted Tor at Ihe pliiii0-S anu
by direct vote
Th. Hinn,an-Green bill also provides for an
official primary ballot. This ballot ls not TO
have an organization column like the party
column on the election ballot. On the oontraTS'
Office are grouped under the names OF the re-
soectve offices, that is to say, all the canofoateS
fer nomination for Governor ~ T'.a IL oT o, sbpoIoh
fine list On another part of the ballot all the
names of candidates for election TO party COM
roittees are grouped under the titles of the com
~ is all fae candidates from a given
district for election to the state committee are
grouped under the title of that committee, snd
90 on In the case of candidates for public office
as the committee designation is hrst presented
Il receives first place on the ballot under the
title of the office. Other candidates appear IN
the order in which the petitions designating
them are filed. There can be no objection 10
this as necessarily the name presented as the
DESIGNATION of the committee which has been
chosen in the manner stated is presented TO be
approved or disapprcVed. But 20 AVOID any
improper advantage being derived from eiVLn9 u
this IoQicaI place, all the names on the baIct
are consecutively numbered, SO that each can
dldate has his own identifying number. Candi-
dates for party positions printed IN the oToer
in which their petitions are filed, and are also
numbered. Blank spaces are lett for the Inser
tion of othe: names in either case by the party
voter. -,
designation of candidates by petition after the
Thns 1artV COMMITTEES designations are to be
filed on or before the seventh Tuesday before
the primary. and those by petition on or before
the fourth Tuesday before the primary.
Meetings of party committees to designate
candidates are 10 be public, and the procedure
is regulated. The roll is called and each com
naitteeman desiring to present candidate must
in his turn arise and announce the name he
wishes TO propose. Then there is a second roll
call for a vote upon the names so presented
which is taken in similar manner If there
is no choice there is another rollcall for the
presentation OF names. and then another one
for vote upon the names. The candidate
selected for the committee designation must
receive a majority OF all the votes entitled TO
whether present OF not Each committeeman,
therefore, must go on record openly before his
constituents. Whatever secret consultations or
meetings may have been had, the time comes
when each one must declare himself responsibly.
RESPONSIBLE PARTY ACTION
This plan provides for responsible party ac-
ton, with all the important advantages OF con-
sultation and elaboration on the part OF those
chosen as the party representatives, while ar the
control OF the nomination OF candidates for cleo
tive offices. It is a system which I believe will
bring about to the largest degree practicable
the selection as party candidates. OF the best
available men whom the party voters approve.
gest candidates. they are put upon their best
behavior. For not only the candidates they
present TO be voted upon directly by the party
voters, but the committeeman themselves II
they desire 70 continue must also be chosen by
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