The Washington times., 1912-03-12
DESTROYING A PRIMARY LAW.

The mortal terror which seems to have possess
ed the Taft managers whenever there IS suggestion
of primary test of Presidential opinion, has no.
where been so completely demonstrated as in the
manipulation of the New York primary act by the
county committee of New York county.
That law at best is a travesty. 1t pretends to
be a primary act when in fact, it is a clumsy de-
vice for the careful suppression Of all opinion
trary to the wishes of the machine. This is nothing
new; but the actual method by which it is pro-
posed to prevent any expression of Roosevelt sen-
ment is worthy of explanation.
First this law provides that the primary ballot
shall present tickets Of candidates. The party COM
mtee names its ticket of candidates for delegates
to the national convention. The committee machine
being completely in Taft control, these machine
made candidates are all pro-Taft
The Roosevelt people, in order to get candidates
on the ticket must nominate them by petition Eight
thousand names were necessary, and were promptly
secured. The machine set out to prove that these
petitions were invalid and to throw out the Roose-
welt lists but this was dropped because no legitimate
objections could be found, and the uproar of pro-
test was feared
So the Roosevelt candidates are to 90 on the
ticket. But note how!
Under the law, candidates are to go on in the
order of their Importance The machine decided
that the most important candidates were those for
State, county, legislative, judicial, borough Offices,
party committeemen-in short, that everything was
more important than the candidates for delegates to
the national convention. So the delegates go at the
bottom; and because of the multiplicity of Offices,
the ballot, it is reported, will be about fourteen feet
long.
Under the Republican emblem will appear,
then, in fourteen-oot column, all the Republican
candidates. single cross on the top of the ticket
will vote for the machine selections
In another column must appear the names of
the Roosevelt delegates. These must be opposite
the machine delegates; therefore, they 60 at the
bottom the fourteen-foot column.
But as the Roosevelt people have presented no
nominations except for delegates, there are no
names in their column above those of the delegates
Thirteen feet of blank space, then foot of candi-
dates for delegates! Nobody save an expert, and
he assisted by county surveyor, could be expected
to locate this stowed-aWay bunch Of candidates;
finding it, to know that had any relationship to the
Roosevelt emblem at the top of the column thirteen
feet farther up; or, discovering this relationship, to
know how to vote it!
In short the New York primary which is the
only the Taft people have consented to be
bound BY is organized for the express purpose OF
accomplishing just what the Taft people desire the
complete suppression of any expression other than
that of the machine
The Roosevelt people demanded that the dele
gates be placed at the top instead of the bottom, Sc
that the voter would have a chance to know what
he doing An order of court was asked, direct
ing such arrangement of the ballot; but the court
declined to act No wonder President Taft is strong
for the courts!
If this New York outrage were fully exposed
and understood, it would carry every State in the
country for Roosevelt.