The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-02
JUDGE PERRY ON
 DIRECT PRIMARY
Member of Former Commission
 Describes Proposed Act

Adopt It Sometime, He Says
 Objections to the Law Are
 Not Serious.
 Judge John H. Perry of Southport. appeared yesterday before the Judic- iary committee in favor of the direct primary bill which was continued from the session of 1909. and spent some time in explaining 1t. Others will be heard on the subject later.
 Judge Perry spoke for the direct primary bill presented by the commits sion of which he is a member to the ! session of 1909. He said the commis- sion was created by the session of 1905 reporting a corrupt practices act and this was passed. The direct primary bill was continued as was the commis- sion which filed it's report two years ago. The proposed law was continued again. bereft of the commission. so that he appeared as one of the de- ] ceased parents of the bill. Judge Perry said the commission depended upon Frank T. Brown of Norwich for ids law. and starting with diverse
 
 nous in favor of a direct primary law and had continued 90 for four years.
 Judge Perry spoke for a moment on corrupt practices. saying 1t is not dim- cult to draft a corrupt practices act which shall be efficient. but 1t Is more difficult to make one which appears efficient but is not, the present law belonging to the latter class. He said good act should require publi- cation. at the time.. of contributions and publication at intervals of the purposes for which the same is being expended.
 returning to the subject of direct pF1marfes Judge Perry said he ap- preached the subject with difhdence, as Mr. Banks at one time favored bill but after Judge Perry spoke on it he changed his attitude. Judge Perry said the plan of direct primar- ies started In Crawford county. Penn sylvania. fin 1860. and the first com pulsory law was enacted In 1889 In Minnesota and Mississippi passed the first Statewide law in 1902. Wisconsin passed an act of the sort next and now fhtrty-four States in all have such laws. either Statewise or covering considerable extent of territory or of fees. In the past two years laws have been amended or enacted on the matter in ten States.
 The plan Is not new and untried. is no experiment and, wherever tried. it Is so well liked that in only one State. Montana, has 1t been repealed. In that State 1t wds an optional county law. It has It's critics who will say it is disastrous to land and party alike, but the State4 go on. making it more broad and comprehensive.
 It does not produce perfect nom1- nations. that is not the reason for it, the real cause for 1t being that 1t nominates the man for whom most of the electors desire to vote No req son can be given why a man should not have the same right to say who is to be nominated as who is to be as sure as the sun rises. New Hamp- shire is the first New England State to adopt 1t and the new Governor Robert P. Bass. has written Judge Perry that 1t worked astonishingly well last September when 70 per cent. of the Republican voters came out at the primaries. Leading citizens of all other States where the law had been passed are strongly in favor of the plan. There are some critics out for every one against it: there are twen- ty-five for it, but critics. Judge Perry said. can be found for the convention system. He read letters from citizens In various States showing what is thought of the working of the laws. Judge Perry explained the bill which C. Il part of the act defines certain terms Lieutenant Governor. Representatives in Congress. State Sena tors and Rep resentatdves. Judges of Probate and Sheriffs, but Judge Perry said he should not object to the elimination of the Lieutenant Governor. He said the State will and must come to the short ballot with which the voter will only be called upon to judge of candidates of whom he knows something, and the other officials will be named by some responsible appointing power.
 United States Senators shall be nom- mated to the General Assembly at an October primary that the Legislature may know whom a majority of the yOd voters sot want; oon, It would be advisory are to be held on the first Monday in October. the day of the annual town meeting. so as to make it easy for every voter to express his sentiments. In cities and boroughs the primary election. The State Secretary shall give notice of the pending primaries sixty days ahead in the case of State and thirty of local primaries.
 The method of getting names on the primary ballot was described. the pro- posed law calling for a petition by a certain per cent. of voters. and the ballots are printed by the State Secre- tary, the ballots of each party to be printed on different oolored paper and the names of the candidates favored shall be marked or written much after the plan of the present ballot law. Party lists are to be made to guard against the members of one party talk ing part in the primaries of another. Names are to be printed in varying order so that the man whose name stands first shall not have an undue advantage over another. The law al- so provides for the nomination of dele gates to the State convention and the expenses of the primary are divided between the State. county and town. It is provided also that the decision of the moderators and counters shall be final.
 The number of votes required to nominate is fixed at 30 per cent of the votes, for the higher offices. and if no one is nominated the work shall be done by the State convention. Pro- vision is also made for nomination by petition without regard to party Pen allies for violation of the law are, of course, provided. Judge Perry an- swered briefly the objections to the proposed law, such as the expense of the plan, which. he said, could not make matters any worse than they are now: it would subtract from the evil but would not cure it. A second objection is that 1t will give the news apers too much power. Judge Perry said 1t would not add to the power of