Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-17
Leftover Work
of Legislature
~ 1910 By Franklin
vi i w. HiChbOrn
III
The. Direct
Primary Law

I ticket. But many machine Democrats
as we'll as machine Union Labcr men,
registered as Republicans. AS con-
sequence, up to the time of the pr11la-
ries in August, 190S 47,945 had regis
tered at San Francisco as Republicans,
1852 as Democrats, and only 1O,546 as
Union Laborites. The Republican re-
form candidate for mayor was over
whelmingly defeated at the primary
POLLS The reform element therefore
entered the fight without a mayoralty
candidate
The machine at the final election in
November calmly switched its follow
ing, registered as Republicans, TO tina
Union Labor ticket. The Republican
candidate for mayor received some H.
900 votes out of a Republican registra-
tion of nearly $4,000, while the Union
Labor candidate was elected with near
ly 10000 votes out of Labor Union
registration of about 11,000.
A clause in the direct primary law
which met with decided opposition from
the anti-maehine element at Sacra-
mento deals with nominations.
Under its provisions the candidate foI
primary nomination Is required not
only to set forth the name of the party
from which he seeks nomination, but
to make affidavit that he affiliated
with said party at the last preceding
general GltCliOlig anu shat ilC SAeAANA
not vote thereat, or voted for ma
iorlty of the candidates of said party at
said next preceding general election
and intends so to vote at the ensuing
election
Thus, no citizen who has not sup
ported the majority of his party cahal-
dates at the previous election, regard
less of their character or fitness Ior
office. and who is unwilling TO take
oath before their nomination, to sup.
port a majority of a given group Oh
candidates at the next ensuing election,
is eligible to become a candidate tor
primary nomination.
This provision worked decidedly TO
the disadvantage of the reform element
at the san Francisco election last NO
vember. 1t has been noted now lne
machine element massed its strength IN
the Republican party. The antl-ina-
chine element of all parties aimed TO
nominate Francis ]. Heney for dlslrlol
attorney. But Heney the year before
had voted for Taft and could become
a urinary candidate only as Repubh-
can As a Republican, with naeillhe
Democrats and Labor unionlsts regis
tered as Republicans, he had no cHailce
for nomination. The Democrats at
temnted TO nut him on the Democratic
urinary ticket, but were prevented by
the provisions of the clause quoted
above. The Democrats of San frah-
cisco were thus denied the privilege OF
printing the name of the man lor
whom they wanted to vote on their prl-
mary ticket. But they managed TO
heat the law, enough Democrats writ
ing Heney's name on their ticket 10
nominate him. 49,, A.
OF the Republicans who attendeo the
nrimaries nearly $500 did not vote Tor
district attorney at all. only 1928 He-
nublicans voted at the primaries ior
district attorney and of those 1854
voted for Heney by writing MS name
on the ballot But this was not enough
lto nominate.
The san Francisco election illustrates
the advantage which the present direct
urinary law gives the macine element
nv forcing the anti-machine forces INTO
separate groups TO fight unaValllns
hattles among themselves, Whlle the
machine is left TO mass it's strength
where II pleases. At san Francisco tne
machine deliberately registered It's iol-
lowing as Republicans, that the nom
inatIon of a weak candidate for mayor
could be forced, thus insuring the ue-
feat of the Republican ticket
The reputable element of the several
parties cannot meet such tactics The
only remedy is to abolish those proVis-
ions of the direct primary law which
handicap effective opposition to ma
chine methods.