The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-09-14
INVESTIGATING THE
PRIMARY SYSTEM.
: ~~~~~%~~~~~~~~S
" Orleans TTmes-Democri

A hostile majority of the New York
assembly, during the session some
months ago, defeated the primary
election law proposed by Governor
Hughes. To appease a perverse pub
lie. which was developing misguid-
ed enthusiasm, the leaders secured, |
however, the appointment of a joint
legislative committee to visit, during
recess the states where primary laws
were in operation, and make report
at the next session. The committee
men were carefully chosen, from the
viewpoint of the anti-HugheS states
men, but, for the sake of appearances
one Hughes follower was admitted to
membership. He declined the honor.
In due time the committee set forth
! upon its travels. Judging from the
testimony so far collected, the COM
pulsOTy primary system would seem
| to be almost universally condemned
| by the people of the states in which
it had been tried. Il is pictured as a
| failure, destructive of party gov
| eminent and productive of political
| evils far greater than those for which
It was prescribed as a cure.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, as the
| case may be- New Workers are not
taking the committee or it's efforts Sc
riOusly. The metropolitan press is
making jOcular references to it, and
| there seems to be an impression that
the committee failed to begin its work
with an open mind-the prime requi-
site of a fair and impartial inyestI-
cation. The trend of the Forthcoming
report is taken for granted and its
! effect SO heavily discounted that Il
! will prove of small va:ue as a cam
paign document. Meanwhile the fol-
| lowers OF Gov. Hughes. advocating
| the enactment of direct primary law
are cleverly turning the COMMITTEE
weapon Of their opponents against rs
foes. In answer to the unfavora bic
/ testimony garnered by he investiga-
tors, 1t is pointed out by an Eastern
periodical that mo state, after adopt
ing the mandatory direct primary, has
ever returned to the convention sys
| tenn" The testimony itself is held
up to ridicule, and it is brutally init
mated that the witnesses are largely
chosen"
In fine, the clever attempt to
counteTact the primary agitation SEN
timent promises to result in abjeCt
failure. The committees zeal has
possibly Outrun it's judgment, and the
| very one sidedneSs of the testimony
gathered is arousing suspicion and
sending recruits into the opposite
camp.
That the committee has been able
to find so many opponents and critics
Of the primary system. IN the states
making trial of Il, need create no
surprise. Many of them, no doubt,
are perfectly honest, while if as is
suggested, the list OF witnesses is
censored, there are everywhere to be
found politicians who thrived under
the convention regime and have fallen
upon less prosperous days since the
| advent of direct nominations. It is
admitted that the primary election
laws are far from perfect. In many
cases the results in operation have
| fallen far short of what was hoped.
The committee need not travel far to
find this out. Any clipping bureau,
indeed. could have supplied them with
! scrapbooks Of great bulk to support
that conclusion. But the attempt to
prove the primary system worse than
the system which It replaces Is quite
| another thing The best answer 70
the last theory is the showing above
quoted, that no state, having once
| turned to direct nominations for re-
lief from the abuses Of the packed
! convention. has returned to the ole
system The primary measure fran
ed upon the suggestion OF Gov. Hughes
was designed to cure many of the
| defects revealed in other statutes on
the subject, so that the answer TO
| many of the arguments which the
committee is collecting will be found
in the bill which the assembly lead
ers rejected. From present appear
ances, the anti-primary forces in New
| York will take none OF The expected
benefits from this carefully planned
legislative investigation"