New-York tribune., 1910-05-10
HUGHES PLEADS FOR BILL
Continued from first rage.

our great political parties.
Everything in government comes at
lenEth to the question of the officer who
administers il. However promising NAV
be legislative schemes. or the extension
of governmental activity. we must Sc
cure the fruit. If at all, from those who
do the work To the fullest extent pos
| slble we must destroy not only the in
| EQUITIES of political corruption but the
! more insidiouS vice of favoritism and es-
tsblish the standards of efficiency and
loyalty 10 the public interest The most
important concern of the community is
the choice of public officers
! We have. and must continue to have.
political parties. National parties are
absolutely essential to the working of
our national institutions National par
ties Inevitably will remain in the state
i field, and through the great national
/ parties our officers of government will be
chosen Party orsa niZation is also es-
sential. and without ii effective party
work is unthinkable. And yet the ext
gencies of organization constantly tend
to make administration thing of favor
and selfish design
/ How TO Secure Benefits Of GROUP Action
Governor Hughes asked how the peo-
! pie were to secure the benefits of group
action through political parties and the
essential advantages of organized roliti-
| cal effort. and at the same time secure.
| in larger degree. integrity. impsrtiality
and efficiency in the use of the instru-
mentalities of government. He contin
ued:
/ We may secure these. | believe. by
diminishing the opportunities for close
party control and lodging directly with
the party voters, under proper safe
! guards, the nomination Of candidates for
elective Offices. 1t is not those who seek
TO control party machinery for the bene-
| fit of themselves and their friends who
! give wholesomeness to party life and
afford assurances of party success
| The party life will be vigorous and its
! representation faithful 70 the extent
/ that the rank and file OF its membership
representing broadly its intelligence and
spirit, have opportunity to make their
wishes decisive in party action 1hls IS
not hostile to leadership that is worthy
of the name; that will be encouraged
It is hostile to that spurious leadership
which seeks through the use of public
offices to construct a virtual despotlsm.
whether it be to crafty ambition for
power or TO fill the pocketbook, or
both
There are several bills before the
Legislature proposing amendments 10
! our primary lSN- one VI tiltSNs hiItN WI
as the Hinma n Green bill. has been pre-
| pared pursuant to my recommendation
for q suitable statewide plan of direct
non1ina tons. It represents the thousht
and cola boration- of many men OF large
experience in political activity VINO are
sincerely desirous that the control OF
nominations Of party candidates should
be lodged directly with the party mem
bers. The methods used in other states
and such difficulties as they nave pre-
sented have been carefully consldered
SO that 2 plan might be provided which
would he adapted to conditions IN the
State of New York. In its substance IT
! has been before the people of tins state
for more than q year NO leslslatEe
measure that I have been famlllar Win
! has been subjected 10 such lone-contlh-
ned examination. It has been the SUD
! iect of debate in clubs, assemblies and
political organizations throughout the
state It's opponents have TIdlculed ana
| scorned il. They have searched IL TOT
defects with unsparing analysis II mas
1 borne the full brunt of the attack OF
those who are opposed TO any system OF
direct nominations.
| support for Bill has Constantly Grown.
Yet il has constantly enlarged its sup
mort and grown in strength with the
! oeorle of the state In several cases
! the election or rejection of candidates
for the Legislature has virtually peeh
determined by their espousal or reJec
tion of this proposal The gains OF
the wear have been notable ana their III
dication of the state of public sentiment
| seems to me very clear:
| Now. have not desired any member
Of the Legislature TO vote for TINS plh
or any other bill contrary to his conVic-
+ions 1t has been my earnest desire
/ that It should be brought out upon the
floor of each house of the LEGISLATURE
/ that it should be debated according TO
/ its merits and that it should be voted
upon by each member according to ms
! Judgment in the light of the wishes OF
! the people who constitute his con-
| stituency.
! This bill abolishes party conventions.
| So far as the convention is a gathering
| for the purpose of generating enthu-
| siasm for the party or the ticket of, the
| party. this object I believe may salts
| fsctori1v be obtained through the meet
ing of the party council for which the
! bill provides. But the convention as a
1 means of choosing candidates has come
/ TO be in most cases a mere farce 1t
/ cloaks the responsibility of the real
| nominators. Instead of being repre-
sentative assembly. it is in the main a
mockery of representative institutions.
! Delegates are chosen. but leaders decide.
| There is little interest among the mem
! hers of the party in the choice Of dele
| gates except as these may concern the
| riya lries of party managers. The action
of the convention is finality- There is
no proper opportunity for registering the
! wishes of the party voters. If these
wishes are ignored their only recourse is
to bolt their party ticket on Election
! Day
II has been suggested that delegates
/ to all conventions might be selected oy
/ direct vote at the primary. This may
/ have certain advantages, but it falls
! short of the desired result. AS II has
/ been frequently pointed out, the dele
! gates If absolutely pledged, are unneces-
| sary: if they are not absolutely pledged
| their action will be uncertain and their
choice will awaken slight interest. They
shifting responsibility from the party
Plan Involves Cumbersome Ballot
| Mr.. Hughes said that such proposal
involved a cumbersome ballot bearing
the names of many delegates or groups
/ of delegates, contrivance manifestly
! serving the interests of the manage
/ and making il unnecessarily difficult for
! the party members to exercise the con
troll which vas their right. Continuing
/ the Governor said.
It has even been suggested that q
primary ballot should contain columns
! analogous to the party columns on our
straight voting for whole column of
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