Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-01-15
A FIGHT FOR THE PRIMARY sYs-
 ITEM,

ITEM.
 Gov. Hughes has entered on the final stage of his conflict with the New York bosses by attacking them in the very citadel of their power, the caucus and convention system of nominations. His annual message to the legislature comes out strongly for the direct primary method of making party nominations and for a modified form of the official ballot, permitting voters to exercise more freely than they do now their per. sonal choice of candidates. It has long been anticipated that Gov. Hughes would take this course, but he does so in the face of tremendous opposition with in and without his party, and in contra vention of the declarations of the most recent republican state platform. As a manifestation of political indepen- dence in behalf of more democratic methods of carrying on popular govern ment, the contest now begun in New York will attract wide attention.
 Gov. Hughes recommends the primary election on two main grounds. That it is necessary for the purifcation of gov ernment, and that it is essential to the purifcation of the party system. Under existing methods of party leadership both party and government tend to drift away from popular control, and the whole theory upon which representative government is based, that it will express the matured judgment of the governed, is overthrowp. Power becomes in. trenched in interruptions cabals, which discourage any real leadership in poll tics and keep down men of honesty and ability. Candidates for office feel them selves accountable, not to the people, nor even to the party. but only to the bosses to whom they owe preferment. How this system operates to the degra- dation of government Gov. Hughes clearly points out
 ITO the extent that party ma
 chinery can be dominated by the few, the opportunity for special in-
 terests which desire to control the
 administration of government, to
 shape the laws, to prevent the pass
 age of laws, or to break the laws
 with impunity, is increased These interests are ever at work, stealth fly and consistently endeavoring to Il pervert the government to the ser vice of their own ends. All that Il is worst in our public life finds it's
 readiest means of access to power
 through the control of the nominat-
 ing machinery of parties. Party or | ganization needs constantly to de- II fend itself from these encroach-
 ments, and the people for their
 proper security must see that the 1 defenses are built as strongly as
 possible
 No system of nomination, of course, is a perfect guarantee against abuses or against the choice of improper or unfit men. The primary system may and sometimes does, lend itself to ma nipulation by venal politicians. But its greatest merit is that 1t is always open to the people by participation in a primary to express their own will and purpose in nominations. It affords an oportunity for the working out oi popular government. It gives a chance for the overthrow of bosses and self constituted political leaders that seldom comes under the convention system What occurs now is we'll designated by Gov. Hughes 'perversion of represen tation,' in that the conscious purposes of the voters fail to find expression ir the performance of their chosen ser wants. True representation should rest on the whole body of voters. Power should come from the bottom upward not from the top downward.
 The extension of the direct primary has been one of the remarkable phase; of our recent political development. Il is yet in the experimental stage, but the experiment seems worth while Whether Gov. Hughes succeed or fail his efforts to put the boss-ridden Com monwealth of New York on a democrat ic basis will have wholesome influence over parties and the people. A victory for the governor will boone of the great est triumphs of his career.
 THE DOOM OF THE BIG HAT