Arizona republican., 1913-01-30
Primaries for Presidents

(By John Callan O'LOughln in Chicago Trbune)
 A movement has been launche in congress to obtain legislation which will restore to the people the right to select their own candidates for the office of president and vice president and in making their selections know the principles for which each candidate stands.
 the biggest projects brought to the attention of congress It's adoption will mean the elimination of special privilege controlling factor the nominations candidates by the eral parties, and the loss of power by the bosses
 There is statement than that special interest is willing to allow the people to express their choice on election day if it can name the nominees. The legislation proposed will not only the people the in their party primaries to the candidates they desire but to have com plete knowledge the platforms upon which the candidates will fo rejection if they secure the nominations.
 End of Convention Fixing"
 The action, if taken, will mean that the manip- ulation of conventions will Conventions will continue to be held perhaps, but they will resemble the electoral college, which merely casts the votes in the directed by the people, both in the matter candidates and platforms.
 Some senators and members of congress who have discussed the believe it would be suf- fcient to enact presidential preference primary, claiming the candidates would be forced by the necessities of the campaign to proclaim the principles in which they believe Others want the candidates to formulate their platforms and make them public candidates Still others desire to force the candi- give the names of the they will put in their cabinet if nominated and elected.
 The chances are however, that the legislation will take the grOund-presidentia preference primaries requirement that each candidate submit his platform with the announcement of his candidacy.
 Progressive Aid to Plan
 The progressive party, in it's platform declared for nation wide preferential primaries for candi- dates for the presidency The democrats declined commit themselves to national legislation in this matter, but called for state legislation and made the further provision in the having no primary the party organization arrange for direct expression by the voters The republican platform silent the subject.
 None of the parties gone the of proposing that candidates should make known their platforms at the beginning of their campaigns for the presidential nomination. This is feature of real importance. Through its adoption the people will be able to learn the position of each candidate upon every live problem of government
 It is objected in quarters that re quirement of this kind is unnecessary because a candidate in his speeches shows where he stands. But a candidates speeches rarely become the plat form of his party. Frequently convention inserts blanks which do not accord with the utterances of candidate it selects, about which he has said nothing.
 Bryan Showed Present Error
 William Jennings Bryan showed he realized the absurdity of the system of nominating candidate and then adopting a platform by insisting that the democratic convention at Baltimore first adopt a platform and select it's candidate who could stand upon it.
 MT. Wilson recognized the absurdity of the provisions of the democratic platform shown by his statement that the platform is not pro- gram" and he added: "A program must consist of measures, administrative acts, and acts of egs- latiOn"
 Colonel Roosevelt in the course the cam paign asked if platform not program, what it? If the party bound by it. then what faith could be put in it's and in it's pro- cedure?
 Would Bind to Principles
 If a candidate required announce platform he would pledge himself in unmistakable fashion observe the principles therein set forth The people would be in position not only to judge him upon his record and his personality but upon what he actually stood for
 If nominated his platform naturally would be- h would the will the majority of his party just his nomination represented the will of the majority Ample time would be had for the exposure of tho strength weakness the platforms, severa months would eapse before the primary nomination occurred and four five months before the election
 During that period the candidates naturally would criticize the blanks of their adversaries ano their Thus people would have th' advantage of being fully informed to the gooC and bad features of the views of the aspirants fol the chief magstracy.
 Several Bills Pending
 There pending in congress bills intro duced by Senator Cummins of Iowa and Congress men Norris and Rowland providing for presdena primaries. None of these contains any reference O the platforms of the candidates. There is reaso O believe however that of these vii be amended in order that the people may obta precise idea of the views and purposes of the me whom they asked
 The presidential primary bills introduced in tn house repOsng in the committe> the electio president and vice president. The Cummins bi is in the files of the senate committee privilege and elections. It is not the intention of either O these committees to report any measure unless force to do so by an overwhelming public sentimen Speaker Clark said today that he hadn't time "t discuss the matter now and when he did ge time he would prepare statement"
 Minority Leader Mann who is opposed presidential primaries. said that before they established the country decide whether wishes to abondon the system of choosing a preis dent by states provided by the constitution" Ciapp View Reform , Senator Clapp believes should