New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-24
HEDGES STRIKES At
TAMMANY PRIMARY LAW
Republican Candidate for Gov
ernor Declares It Should Be
Wiped Out at Once.
FINDS THE PARTY GAINING
Progressives Losing Ground,
the Farmers Being Unwilling
to Aid Democrats to Re-
tain State Control.


to Aid Democrats to Re-
tain State Control.
From a STAFF Correspondent OF The Tribune)
Elmira, n. Y, oct. accompanying
through Broome, Tioga, Tompkins and
Chemung counties to-day. Job z. Hedges,
Republican candidate for Governor, ex-
posed Tammany Halls hypocrisy In Its
amendments TO the election laws through
the Levy bill and the Ferris Blauvelt so
called direct primary bill. He declared to
enthusiastic audiences that II that was
the kind of legislation they wanted they
must not vote for him. He was not out
he said, 20 give that kind OF laws to the
people under gulse OF protection and
equal opportunity for all.
Dir. Hedges declared the direct primary
law was so bad that 1t should not remain
on the statute books one minute In It's
present form. He said the Tammany
amendments to the election laws were
merely an excuse for giving Jobs TO fol-
lowers, and the elaborate election ma
chinery they imposed on the upstate
counties was utterly unnecessary. He
added:
7 mention this not merely because these
laws added taxes 10 you UP here. Ihat
| is a thing you will work out In your own
way. II you like II you will vote to con-
tInue It. But II you like that kind OF law
making don't vote for me, for II you elect
me Governor I'll disappoint you IN that
respect.
The applause which this statement al
ways evoked seemed to indicate that the
voters would be very happy 10 be dis
appointed in that respect.
Mr.. Hedges's trip to-day was through
territory strongly Republican I'm other
years This year # has been badly split
between Republicans and Progressives,
with the Democrats, according 10 local
politicians, holding about their normal
strength Reports OF recent canvasses in
dictate, however, that the third party
strength Is waning and that when the
farmers confront the problem Of voting
the Republican ticket or handing the
state government over to Tammany for
two years they will decide to vote as in
other years.
SPosNo W Y dStoTt Tldnus'
The days campaigning began in Lester
shire, Broome County. where Mr.. Hedges
spoke to a group Of factory hands. There
was a noon meeting in Vestal and an
other OF about one thousand persons In
Owego. This was regarded as an ex-
tremely good audience for that hour OF
the day.
At Candor the candidate spoke to two
hundred or three hundred persons at the
railway station. Ithaca produced a big
meeting. with lot OF applause and good
Will for the candidate. From that city
Mr.. Hedges took a special train TO Spencer
to address a group OF ProgressIves.
There followed n big meeting at Waiver
ly. 4 large audience applauded heartily
his injunction to compare the two years
Of Dix with the four years OF Hughes
and make their choice on that basis. For,
he declared. he would restore the state to
where il was when Hughes left II II the
people sent him to Albany.
The only choice this year was between
Hedges and Republlcan!sm and Suzer
and Democracy, Mr.. Hedges insisted TO
every group OF voters he addressed. He
reiterated the statement that all Pro-
Gressives could hope to do would be TO
preserve a semblance OF a political or
Plantation at the expense OF the State of
New York. that is, they could split the
Republican vote so badly that a Tam
many state ticket and a Tammany Legis- |
lature would be elected. The result Of
this could he judged from what Tam |
many had done to the primary and cleo
ton statutes, he said.
Then Mr. Hedges went into details |
Among several things in the so-called |
direct primary law which Tammany en-
acted which needed changing he asserted. |
was the proposition OF giving 10 a poliu-
cal committee the power TO designate
party nominations, when the voters OF
the party, who were supposed to pass on
those designations, were handicapped by
the law and actually could not. He
added:
The theory was that party govern
ment could be a part Of the state ma
that the people would speak as
they would theoretically, that they would
elect the local committee, and, there
fore, the local committee would reflect the
people. And it would have had all the
people voted, but all the people never
vote on the same at the same |
time Therefore, the law as Ii now is is
SO fixed-and / just mention this because
the word bosses" comes into the public
mind very frequently.
IL is one of the most beautiful things |
TO make a speech on you ever saw. but
il people paid no attention to bosses
there wouldn't be any. II they just went
ahead and performed their voting duties
on primary and election days, there would
be no bosses at all. But that is too
much TO expect all at once. Therefore, l
say that when the chairman OF a com
mittee is allowed to designate the nomi-
nees Of a committee and those nominees
must be voted for, whoever they are,
unless they are beaten at the polls by
men OF that very same party. and an OPP
portunity to beat them Is taken away, |
that Is a law which should not be on the
statute books.
Problem Of an Honest Ballot.
Taking up the Levy law, Mr.. Hedges
said the problem OF the publication
OF the ballot, In his opinion, was the
most serious OF any awaiting solution In
this state. II the honesty OF the ballot
were not assured. there never existed
any way OF knowing what was majority
vote
City and rural district problems of the
ballot we're entirely different the candi-
date said. The difficulty in the country