American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1911-01-28
Progressives Working for Laws
That Will Bring About This
Desirable Result.
Proposed Legislation Would Make
Delegates to National Conventions
Agents With Definite Instruc-
tions-Interesting Features
of the Lorimer Affair.
BY JOHN j.

~Wo viii speculation as TO ne make
up OF the future committees of the
house and senate or as to the control
OF the party after 1912, the Progress
sive program has developed and there
Is a movement on over the country
to secure the enactment of laws
which Will bring the control of the
party and of the government into the
hands OF the voters and AXE the con
] troll of both out of the hands of the
bosses.
Progressive Republicans and Pro-
gressive Democrats are cooperating
to attain this end. The impetus to
this progressive campaign is In the
little group Of Progressives In con-
gress. These men are using their in
huence with the legislatures In their
states to secure laws guaranteeing d.
rect legislation. They not only pro-
pose to make their state govern
ments more responsive, to secure the
oregon plan for the election of sena-
tors, and direct nominations for all
offices, but they also intend to make
the presidency more directly respon-
s1ble to the people.
Two things are necessary to attain
this end. The people must be given
opportunity to vote directly and ex-
press their choice as to presidential
candidates within their parties. Then
the president must be shorn of the
poWer to appoint more than go, 900
federal offic holders. This vast
army of employees gives to the in
cumbent of the office of president a
machine which enables him to exert
a too powerful. influence either to the
end that he may %perpetuate himself
In power or that he may be able by
Its use to dictate the succession. At
least the use of this machine can die
tate the nominee Of the party in
power.
For Presidential Preference Bills.
Progressive Republicans and Dem
ocrats have already started the cam
pa1gn In the states to secure the en-
actment of presidential preference
bills under which, after all of the
states adopt such laws, the voters
can express their will as to who
should be the nominee of the party to
which they owe allegiance. Such a
vote by the members of the party
within a state will be instructions to
the delegates to the national conven-
ton. These instructions will not be
violated. Members Of state legisla-
lures in states having direct primary
laws providing for the nomination of
United States senators do not as a
general rule violate the instructions
OF the people.
Delegates to national conventions
will be just as mindful of the will of
the people of their particular state.
1t is recognized that this system
would be used to secure the delegates
from a state for some favorite son.
To guard against the log-rolling and
trading in a convention made of dele
gates pledged to favorite sons, it is
provided that the voters shall have
opportunity to express their second
and third choices.
Progressive Republicans recognize
that 1t will not be possible to secure
the enactment of such laws In many
of the states in time to have a ma
jority of the delegates to the 1912
conventions chosen under this sys-
ten. These laws will be enacted In
some of the states. Under such la
the power of the federal machine in
the southern states would be weaken
ed If not entirely broken.
Recognizing that such laws would
be popular, and at the same time dan-
gerous to them, the re~actionaries
laugh at these proposed statutes.
Movement Well Under Way.
Progressive Republicans are organ
izing to make an aggressive campaign.
During the holidays the ground was
prepared in the states. Senator La
Follette's friends are busy in Wiscon-
sin. Senator Clapp's supporters are
aggressive in Minnesota. Senator
Cummins declared for the Oregon
plan In Iowa. After decrying against
every popular government movement
for years, Senator Late Young finds
himself where he must succumb to
the demand Of the people of that state
and he followed with a doleful. me, |
too"
Senator Bristow and Governor
Stubs in Kansas and Senator Brown
n Governor Aldrich in Nebraska are
putting ginger into the campaigns in
those states. P~oindexter in Washing
ton, Johnson in California, Gronna in
North Dakota. Borah in Idaho and
Dixon In Montana are lighting the
tres In their states, and it now ap-
pears certain that In almost every
Republican state OF the west with
The exception of Illinois an aggressive
legislative campaign will be prose
cuted.
Illinois Is still staggering from the
fleets of the Lorimer exposure. The
2. too, is staggering under the
IFS committee. The old
6 tho Sanata undor tn l..