The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-14
The Committee % One Hundred aud
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From the Hinman-Green bill the
Meade Phillips bill which the Assembly
has adopted has borrowed one important
detail which is vicious in principle. and
in practice would prove fatal TO the pur-
poses which the friends Of direct pri-
MARES have in view. This is the pro-
vision which creates a State committee
Of 80 TO replace the present committee
Of - members in the Republican and 81
in the Democratic party.
The purpose Of the change Is plain.
BY substituting the Assembly for the
Congress district and Senate district
unit Of representation II ia intended to
bring the selection Of the State COM
mitteeman closer to the party voter.
This il an irrelevant detail 20 far a. our
city il concerned, but extremely rele-
want in upstate districts which under
the present order frequently contain
three or four counties Since each
county contains az least one Assembly
district the meaning Of the change here
is plain enough.
The objection 20 the Meade Phillips
plan since the project Is now embodied
IN that bill. lies in the fact that by in
creasing the number Of members Of the
state committee IL will inevitably insure
the concentration Of the whole party
machinery in the hands Of few men
4 committee Of $50 is too large 10 per-
NIT Of any original action on it's own
initiative, and il will become merely
a committee which has delegated 70
smaller executive COMMITTEES all its
real functions and will merely 20
through the motion Of approving them,
precisely ~ a Tammany Hall general
committee. Theoretically all powerful,
has become a mere recording instru-
ment for the will of the executive COM
mittee Such. indeed. is the history Of
all such committees in all political af-
fairs including that Of the various COM
mittees Of one hundred In the reform |
movement Of this town.
A State committee Of 80 means an
executive committee Of ten or a dozen |
men who will actually do the thinking |
and acting for the party. Such an
executive committee in the Republican |
party TODAY would consist Of WoOD-
RUFF, BARNES. GEIsCOM, WARD. HEN
bricks, ALDRIDGE, FAssETT, MALBY.
WADswORTH and one Or two other
men selected with reference alike 10
political prominence and geQgraph-
ical considerations Between the con-
ventiOPs this executive committee would
have absolute power, and the sessions
Of the full committee just before the
would amount TO little more
than ratification meetings. II is true
than in the present State committee GER
tain members exercise more influence
than others. yet all can make themselves
felt. But in a committee Of 80 the in
luence OF the individual member would
IN a majority Of cases be nil.
II the purpose Of the Legislature is 70
modify the machinery Of party govern
nent with an idea Of making il more d.
rect, then the defeat Of the proposition
Tor increasing me size of the State com
nittee is not only logical but necessary.
With the direct election Of State commit
eemen there Is no particular reason to
complain, but with the project 10 make
hese directly elected committeeman
DOwerless We believe there is justifica-
ioH for much criticism Asa whole and
N each separate detail il would appear ,
hat the Hinman-Green bill endeavored 7
o eliminate bosses by the strange device
i making the business Of bossing not Z
,nly easier bat more essential Ia the
unning u party machinery