The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-03-16

position to the real intent of the direct
primary principle. All have their in.
nings at the direct primary, he argued.
| and it would needlessly complicate
things to allow Independent candidates
| to come forward in unrestricted num-
| bers after its conclusion.
With an apology to Chairman Knud-
sen for his deviation from the course
of the discussion, Emmeluth declared
that the problem of getting the people
| to come forward and express their
wishes was the substance of the whole
thing Then he said:
If the good people of the Punahou
district had come out, John Hughes
would have been elected to this body.
| without a doubt. -
The Senate received this reference
to the political past in silence, and
there were no comments volunteered
| by the members of the upper house.
Senators Smith and Fairchild had
decided objections to the specification
| in the direct primary bill making it
necessary for a voter to declare his
party Affiliations. The wording of the
provision is as follows:
"Any. person desiring to vote at a
primary shall state his name, residence
and party utilization to the inspectors
of election, one of whom shall there
upon announce the same in distinct
tone of voice sufficiently loud to. be
heard by all persons in the polling
place. If the person desiring to vote
is not challenged, one of the primary
Judges shall give to him one, and only
one, primary ballot of the political
party with which he declared himself
affiliated, on the back of which such
inspector shall indorse his initial in
such manner that it may be seen when
the ballot is properly folded. =
Provision Is Criticized.
This provision was subjected to crit
icism, and Senators Smith and Fair
child declared that they thought, in
practical operation, it would be play
ing into the hands of the machine, y
which the direct primary was express
ly designed to prevent.
Gas far as I can see,' said SEN
ator Smith, "this would certainly re-
suit in placing more power in the hands
of the organization, so-called the ma
chine. -
Senator Mccarthy, who does NOT
champion the cause of the direct pri-
mary, read an extract from an article
in Harper's Weekly, quoting the views
as expressed by President Schurman
of Cornell on the application of the
direct primary principle in the State
of New York. as advocated by Govern
or Hughes. The distinguished edu-
Gator gives an opinion formed upon
practical investiga tons in States
where the primary law has been tried,
and his opinion is distinctly unfayor-
able.
Dickey agreed with the conclusions
that the power of the ssbosses' would
not be 1essened by the Operation of
that it would lessen the potency of
the ssbosses by bringing out the peo-
pie and by giving life to number
of minor-degree .bosses all of
which would go to prevent strong ami
unasssfilable Capitalization of political
power in the hands of one man.
Senator Fairchild asked why the dis
rect primary would be more effective
in bringing out the people than any
other election laws. Dickey replied
that the operation of the primary law
has proven it to be true, and it has
also stimulated general interest that
tended to enlightenment on general
political conditions.
w. o. Smiths View.
In dealing with the local aspect of
the primary idea Senator Smith said:
Il think that the Republican and
Democratic parties advocated the d.
rect primary law without actually know
ing what it meant. At the present time
there is recourse for the people if poor
representatives are elected to the con-
vention Public opinion can be brought
to bear to prevent the nomination of an
unworthy man. But under the direct
primary the people would be powerless
after the first STEP
Senator ChiIlingworth declared that
one of the essential objects OF the direct
primary was to do away with the con
vention. He said that the .Elast
chance was the point; that if the
people did not rely on defeating candi-
dates by influence brought to bear in
4 convention that they could be de-
pended upon to accomplish the same
object at the direct primary.
Senator Smith said that attempts to.
secure greater freedom in government
should be taken a step at a time, and
that while there were some countries
ahead of the United States in the APP
plication of the popular will, it would
be the part of wisdom to move slowly
in the. adaptation of the principle of
the direct primary.
Senators Mccarthy and Moore de-
clared against any provision that made
voter declare his party affiliations
Moore said that the proper method
would be to have one ballot with all
the names of the candidates of any
party thereon so the voter could cast
his ballot for any one he wished
Moore argued that there were many
reasons why voter should wish to
keep his political ideas to himself as
expressed at the polls for nomination
or election.
s'This single idea, to my mind, mill
tates against the whole thing said
Senator Fairehild, .sand simply means
more power for the machine in poll
ties -