The San Francisco call., 1909-02-27
Nevada SoIons Copy
Wright-Stanton Bill
Johnson of Sacramento Prepares to Oppose
Primary Measure in Assembly
By George A. Van Smith
Especial Dispatch TO The Call

CALL HEADQUARTERS, CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE BUILDING, SACRA-
MENTO. Feb. 26.-The contention of it's
proponents that the Wright-Stanton
OF the direct primary election laws in
operation is measurably borne out by
the introduction of virtually a YER
batim copy of the Wright-Stanton bill
In the Nevada senate by Pyne, presi-
dent pro tempore.
The Nevada legislators had all the
direct primary laws in operation from
which to draw inspiration for their
proposed system But they found in
the Wright-Stanton bill all the best
features of all, the existing primary
laws and a careful elimination Of the
Objectionable features of these laws.
The result of their Investigations was
the Introduction of a literal copy of
the Wright Stanton bill as originally
drawn.
TRIBUTE TO BILLS TRAINERS
The history of direct primary legis-
lation does not include a similar trib-
ute to the work of the trainers of a
primary bill. In every state that has
followed in the wake of Minnesota,
Kentucky and Wisconsin many of the
mechanical features of the laws of
those states have been preserved in
tact in the subsequent enactments, but
the Wright-Sta bill is the first to
receive the Endorsement of introduc-
ton without change in sister state.
The peoples fight for an honest and
comprehensive direct primary election
law will be transferred to the assem-
bly, Monday. when the Wright-Stanton
bill will be passed by the senate and
consigned to the tender care of the
assembly committee on elections and
election laws.
SENATE ADOPTS NEW DATE
The Wright stanton bill was pre-
pared for passage by the senate today
by the adoption Of series of mechani-
cal amendments proposed by Senator
Wright most of them made necessary
by his accession to the request of Sec
retary of State Curry and Registrar Ze-
mansky to change the date of the pri-
mary election from the first Tuesday in
September to the third Tuesday In
August.
The amendments offered in the senate
were adopted without dissenting voice
and the indications on the surface are
that when the bill is called up for final
passage on Monday there will be not
more than three or four votes cast
against it.
HAS MAJORITY IN ASSEMBLY
The bill providing for better direct
of the states which have preceded Cali
fornia will go to the assembly with the
pledged support of a comfortable work
ing majority of the members of the
lower house.
That does not mean that the bill is
to have clear sailing in the assembly.
Johnson of Sacramento has elected him
self the new head of the opposition to
the bill demanded by the people and
which was given the enthusiastic sup
port of two-thirtis of the senate when
the showdown between the machine and
the people was forced.
The member from Sacramento was
one of the original proponents of the
unconstitutional fixed percentage plu-
rality scheme. He uncovered his game
at the first and only public hearing on
the bill in the senate chamber early in
the session.
FIXERS MAY STILL BE FEARED
That scheme was so thoroughly
shown up by Senators Cutten and Cur
tin that it has been abandoned, but the