New-York tribune., 1910-06-06
APPROVES DIRECT PRIMARIES
But Disapproves Governor Method
of Reaching Thereafter.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: We have our idols. Among the chle1
of mine are Roosevelt and Hughes. we
know that there is clay in our idols, out
We try to submerge it's remembrance, ana
feel hurt when the clay is thrust out
nakedly before US, and especially so Wneh
the idol does it himself.
Governor Hughes seems to have made
the clay evident by his precipitous promul-
cation of an extraordinary session of the
LEGISLATURE simultaneously with the ao-
1ournment of the regular session.
I believe in primary reform and direct
nominations and have faith in the Hin
II. an Green bill, and in what 1t would ac-
complish. but there seems 10 be something
else transcendentally important and further
reaching in the long run than this innedl-
ate achievement, and that is that the Ex-
ecutive shall not encroach upon or coerce
the legislative power. Governor Hughes
has set dangerous precedent. which will
recoil upon him. He has wounded US IN
our confidence Of his judicial poise. a chief
quality for the exalted office to which he
has been called by the President He also
seems guilty of a colossal, impolitic i'm
pertinence toward the chosen representa-
tives OF the people of this state
The Governor may call special session
of the Legislature only on extraordinary
occa sions" So SAYS the constitution. which
should be his guide. This contemplates an
emergency-a crisis.
There is here no emergency, no crisis.
Our laws as to primaries, nominations and
elections are established. We have worked
under them as far back as we can remem-
Der. as they have been modified by success
sive enactments; there is no emergency
which calls for a radical and instantaneous
change.
1t is the legislators responsibility, not
the Governors. If the people want this
legislation they will get it. and soon; the
remedy is in their own hands; they will
elect representatives committed to it.
1t seems to me that there is one plain
duty facing the members of this Legis-
lature when they convene in extraordinary
session. If. upon the receipt of the Cow
ernor's message, it appears that no e-ner-
gency presents itself warranting the Gov
ernor to call this extraordinary session, it Is
for the Legislature, wholly disregarding the
merits of these issues, which were thor
oughly thrashed out er the regular session
and by the Governor as well. to adopt a
joint resolution that no emergency has
ISeI' tuGl no warrant Tor
the calling OF the special session appears
and thereupon adjourn-this a. decisive
and salutary action to countercheck and
destroy the dangerous precedent set by the
Governor and as a rebuke TO his unwar-
ranted action.
ALEXANDER L. MAYER.
Mount Vernon. n. Y. June l. 1910
IOur correspondent has nisconstrued
the meaning of the phrase, ION extraor-
dinary occasions" which is found in the
state and the federal constitutions. II
the constitution had simply said the
Governor shall have power to convene
the Legislature" it would have left the
Legislature subject to his call, even in
its ordinary. regular sessions. To avoid
this and for no other purpose the limit
ing phrase 'on extraordinary occasions"
was used. The meaning is that on Or
binary occasions when the regular ses-
sion occurs the Legislature shall not be
subject to the Governors call, but that
on other than such ordinary occasions
it shall! be so subject The Governors
discretion in calling extraordinary ses-
sions" is not limited by the constitution,
and precedents justify Governor Hughes
in his course-Ed1