The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-11-17

ID ID ~ NI N.+ |NfNI "MfI| |N|NrIN
hN telafalt lIifa' ffhtialta y hi.a
nrte fei ltf nafiilrilta 81 iadtffn1
faf - rem rafiIhn eshdliafmi upth
lha AZ srrdIniei hF Iht lna fte t0tr7i
~ io lbe tollnf fndiif nd ntlsh thf
ofiisiailt arfolnifd Inspection preside
~ " q regular tlsttioDl tas voter A.
fiafos hie lafiisanshlr, receives his
party 3 ballot. marks BE choice in enc
usual WY and rastt bile vote. ncnu.
laliona governing regular elections,
including penalties for ffnud. apply,
The candidates receiving ihp majority,
or eurh other proportion Of thc votes
ne the law may prescribe Tor the 70.
spcctivc offices become the partye
candidates 10 be voted FOR on election
day. u may be provided that IN ease
candidate az primary receives
clear majority Of al the votes east for
= particular office he may then and
there be declared elected.
Few Complications.
A direct primary law IL not very
complicated affair. Under Il, the rou.
tine begins very much hs IL does under
our present election laws. A person
seeking his pafty's nomination for an
office files his petition with tho county
clerk, or other designated official, and
his name is printed on the official bal.
lot of that party. The voters of each
precinct, instead Of voting for delegates
TO convention, vote directly for the
candidates seeking nomination. Their
choice, as shown by count of the bal
lots, become the candidates of their
party at the ensuing election. That is
why 1t Is called "direct primary. -
Party committeeman may also be
selected at the primary election. Party
platforms may be made and promulgat.
ed by caucuses composed of the candi.
dates, or by the party committees, or
by joint conferences composed of both
candidates and committeeman.
The move is now being made 70 sp-
ply the direct primary to the presi-
Dental campaign by selecting and in
structing delegates to the national
conventions through the local primaries.
The Washington correspondent of The
! Advertiser in a recent letter, said,
! "Real political conventions of the old
time brand are being relocated, when
ever the people of the state have On
opportunity to vote.s Z" There viii be
virtually two presidential elections
next year. The spread OF the presiden-
tial primary idea insures it. That iden
is to be tested for the first time and
so many states are certain to try it
that the outcome. will be of moment
Should it be satisfactory, one may lool,
for something like nationwide pri-
mary in 1915.
i Regarding Efficacy.
AS to whether the direct primary
laws have been success, opinions diff
fer. They have increased the expenses
of candidates, but not to such an ex
tent as to lie prohibitive to the man OF
small means. They have increased the
responsibility of the parties to the
people. They have brought the candi
dates closer to their constituents and
rendered them more amenable to public
opinion. They have also brought the
people at large into closer acquaintance
with the public affairs. You have
heard Senator Bourne's opinion on the
result of the direct primary law. Mr.
Merriam, in his book which have al
ready mentioned, sums it up as fol
lows: 80 far as its tendencies HAYS
, been made evident, the direct primary
. has justified neither the lamentationt
, ofsits enemies nor the prophesies of it
friends. 1t has not destroyed the party
nor has il smashed the ring. It hal
, not resulted in radical and geQgraphi
cal determinations, nor has it auto
, matically produced the ideal candidate
Some bosses are wondering why the,
feared the law; and some reformeFs arr
: wondering why they favored it. TIL
wiser ones in both camps are endeavor
ing to readjust themselves to the new
conditions. Public sentiment general,
favors the new system, and there is nj
disposition, except among n few re
dictionaries to return to the old regime.
At present an uncertain factor exist
in connection with the adoption of tn
commission form of government in Ger
: tain cities. Attending this new plan o
municipal government is the PROPOSE
ton to abolish party primaries alto
gether and to allow nominations to b.
made only upon the individual petition
Of candidates. One of the object
sought to be attained by this is tn
elimination of national party lines from
? purely local elections. The new plal
has not been pnt into sufficiently gen
eral operation to warrant the drawini
OF any QeUnlle CONCLUSIONS as TO IL
probable effect on party politics. How
!, ever, ms any election campaign under
republican form of government neccs
states organization of some kind
! whether it be called machine, par
ty, or something else, it is thought tina
the new scheme is more likely to fin
its level and take its place as par
of the general plan for the populari2
ing of politics which has been steadil
evolving during the past nearly hal
century, than it is to upset and und
: that great work.
q New Machines
E The notion that the tearing down o
5 national party lines will result in tn
; abolition Of the machine, - sO.calIed
from politics Is a mistaken one. TIL
/ obliteration OF existing party line
. would simply mean that Other line
!. would be drawn in their place, and a,
4 companying such new lines would b
new machines. In this Territory III
I abolition Of the national party line
I L. a..I