The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-03-17
HUGHES READY
FOR BATTLE
He Prepares Contest for Dr.
rect Nominations
BILL TO THE LEGISLATURE
Governor Is Very Anxious for It's Pass
hge--cOmpletiOn Of Work May
Require an Extra
Session.
BILL TO THE LEGISLATURE

Albany, ~ Y, March 1.-THE battle
Of Governor Hughes with the cold Nor
lartys" Of policies over the direct nom
nations project is about to begin, The
bill embodying his plan Of party organi-
zation and nominations will be intro
duoed today and then viii ensue a fight
in all probability az bitterly contested
as those which drew the attention 5f
4 the nation 10 the enactment Of q.
public service commissions law and the
anti gambling acts. Somehow there has
grown up here and elsewhere a notion
that the governor intended 20 conine
himself to this matter TO a mere recon-
mendation, and that he would sit quiet
| ly by and net the politicians sand-bag
the bill at their leisure There could
not be a greater mistake. he has set
his heart upon this measure, and viii
fight for Il with all the resources at
his command. One Of his adherents said
yesterday:
Governor Hughes Is about the most
efficient political fighting machine now
ailoat, and in this fight you win see
every gun on every deck in full action.
This is not going to be a matter Of sub
marines The people Of the state and
hof the nation win see the battle, and
there win be no possible mistake about
the outcome"
The politicians are rolling under their
tongues the assertion that whatever
else the governors plan may be at is
not direct nominations" There is some
truth in that; though IL is not true in
Just the way they mean il. The fact
Is that when this bill Is ready il viii
be seen 70 be masterpiece Of eonstruc-
tive political legislation. The plan up
on which Governor Hughes viii stake
the success Of his third year Is not an
adaptation Of the direct nominations
scheme in more or less satisfactory OPP
GRAFTON in certain western states. with
ar attempt to remedy some of the de-
feets and meet some of the objections
alleged against them IL is new, and
If it proves TO be with the governor and
his helpers think it. it will offer model
for the other states. This has not thus
far been appreciated. In preparing this
bill, the governor has given minute
study TO the operation of the direct
nominations plan in other states; none
Of the difficulties has been lost upon
him, and in the preparation of his plan
he has to great extent cleared new
ground.
Senator Harvey d. Human OF Bling |
hamton, one of those most active in the |
preparation Of the new bill. has become |
an enthusiastic advocate of the scheme. /
This Is the more striking because he is
machine politician. one OF the most |
experienced and astute of them all, he /
is Republican boss of Broome county \
and chief OF one of the most wonderful /
Republican organizations in the state. /
He began as skeptie on the subject, /
ana is now heartily devoted to the sup
of the clean men of the Senate. He /
sold: IF the people once come to I'M
derstand this plan, nothing can stop its
enactment This is a plan to bring the
party organization really close to the
people, where they can get at the fell
lows whom they can't reach now be-
cause they never run for any Office
Under this scheme they win have to
run, and run in the open. The good
men will not be harmed by it; the other
kind cannot survive under It," Every
indication now points to long and bit
terly contested struggle. lasting, per-
haps, far into the spring, with perhaps
en- extra session OF the legislature ut
3ba and nf If