The Daily Missoulian., 1912-03-18
MASSACHUSETTS LEADS WAY IN
CONSERVATIVE NEW ENGLAND
WITH HER LAW.
BEGINNING OF THE END
Tho Action Of Bay State Legislature
Marks the Breaking Up Of the Old
mary Will Place the Control Of Pol
tics in the Hands Of the People.

Washington, March III (SpeciaL) -
The beginning of the end" Is the
comment of Senator Dixon, manager
of the Roosevelt campaign, upon the
Massachusetts legislatures passage of
n presidential preference primary bill.
Senator Dixon's countenancc was
wreathed In smiles when he received
kilograms from Massachusetts giving
details Of the passage Of the primary
measure.
I'VE have needed nothing SO much
as the opportunity TO show just how
the people Of tne so-called CON
servatlve eastern states felt about the
presidential contest" he said "Massa-
chusetts has provided the way to test
this matter out, and that is all we
have asked.
Massachusetts Is the middle of New
England. New England IL supposed TO
ne the Gibraltar OF conservatism, and
Massachusetts the capital II we can
prove that the people in Massachusetts
are for Roosevelt, we do more than
win. We will come pretty near maxi
Ing 1t unanimous"
A complete defeat for the Crane
machine is seen in the action of the
Massachusetts senate I'm passing the
presidential preference primary bill. II
was only under strong pressure that
the Crane forces Withdrew their out
ward opposition to the measure. The
measure went TO the house where IL
was amended to make the prcfefnce
expression reach the delegates Mt large
as well as district delegates. The final
question was whether this expression
should be made to include toe four
delegates at large who always have n
special political Importance because
they are supposed to represent the
entire state. The machines chief
efforts were put forward to prevent
the acceptance by the senate of this
house amendment. A death blow TO
the machines plans came when the
progressives of both parties united in
adopting the amendment and taen in
passing the bill.
Under this act, "A general statewide
primary will be held April 80. The
tory republicans opposed the bill to
the bitter end, and II was bitter
enough for them, for they recognized
that II marked the end of machine
rule in their party.
This move for q popular expression
of presidential opinion has reached
proportions that compel me to say
that there is something like religious
fervor behind It," said Senator Dixon.
"Thc truth is that the whole business
of nominating presidents has suddenly
been reorganized. The national con-
vention of interests and interested
politicians Is from this time forth an
affair of the past. The people are
going to run their national convcn-
tions, and that Is going 10 be true Of
one party as well as the other.
with tht primary, we will carry
every district In Massachusetts, and
on top of that will control the dele
gates-at- large. That means that the
three northern states of New England
will be for us-Maine, New Hampshire
and Vermont. The east is split wide
open. We will get New Jersey solidly,
for 1t already has presidential
primary act of the modern stripe.
Pennsylvania Is lining up for us, be-
cause the people are so much In
earnest that nothing will stop them"