Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-12-05
PRESIDENT WOULD SECURE RE.
NOMINATION UNDER PRIMARY
SYSTEM w,THour,EFFoRT.
FRIENDS OF OPPOSING
AsPIRANTs WILL OPPOSE IT
Primary Election Question Certain to
Be Important Issue in Present SEES
sion Of consrsss-oppesition to Idea
Of Permitting Candidates to Write
Their Own Platform.
Especial correspondence.l


ident Wilson has in his annual mes
sage advocated the enactment Of q
direct primary law for the nomination
Of presidential candidates. congress Is
expected to follow out that recon-
mendation and pass such measure.
1t Is true there Is much opposition
to the idea within the presidents own
party. In fact, democrats have been
foremost In the opposition In congress.
They have pleaded that there was no
constitutional authority for the enact
ment Of law for the nomination OF
candidates for president by direct vote.
This plea has been made against the
demands Of various progressive men
in congress for such legislation. Pro-
gressive party men have advocated
such q reform. So have progressive
republicans and some progressive
democrats. Senator Cummfns was the
first to introduce a presidential pri-
mary bill in the senate and, tho he has
repeatedly urged that something be
done with 1t, it has lain long in the
privileges and elections committee and
democratic leaders in the senate have
insisted there was no warrant In the
constitution for such action.
Senator Cummins expects now
that most Of the democrats will fore
go their opposition and will accede to
the wishes of the president. and he ex-
presses the hope there will be iesas.2-
ton.
Much will depend on whether the
president contents himself with mere
recommendation or whether he insists
on the legislation.
Big Politics Being Played.
Big politics hangs round this recon-
menda tion Of the president. Many Of
the politicians see in it q purpose to
seek a denomination in 1916. Friends OF
other democratic possibilities for pres
ident, as Underwood and Clark, can
not be said to be enthusiastic for the
proposition. Some Of the friends OF
Secretary Bryan, who would like to see
him nominated. are wondering just
where he would stand in the event OF
such a law. Nevertheless, Bryan men
generally may be expected to support
direct nominations.
Under the direct primary plan. as
things stand now. the denomination OF
President Wilson over that Of any man
In his party who might be candi-
date would be "a cinch." It Is. Of
course. not to be forgotten that politi-
cal conditions can change rapidly.
Reason For Opposition.
h When the subject comes up in con-
gress, there will be opposition. apart
from any opposition to the direct pri-
mary itself, to the idea Of the presi-
dent that the platform should be writ
ten by the party nominees. Strong OBJ
lection will be voiced to this and the
plan Of having the platform written by
delegates chosen by the people for that
purpose will be advocated on the
theory the men who seeking the Of
fees are just the men not to write
platforms.
Some opposition viii be heard from
conservative democrats and conserva-
tive republicans ON the ground the d.
rect primary would tend to break down
party organizations. AS against this,
it will be urged that direct nominal
ton Of candidates for president and
vice president would tend to smash the
power Of the bosses.
Proposal Revolutionary.
It is not easy to realize how greatly
the business OF handling q presidential
campaign WOul0 Do SeVOlutlOulze0 ny
the direct primary. The methods Of
carrying on the denomination CAM
paigns would be changed greatly. No
conventions for nominations would be
held. The platform conventions would
be minor affairs compared to present.
day conventions. Nevertheless, there
is not much doubt the direct primary
Is coming. The experiences Of the re-
publican party at Chicago and the
democratic party In Baltimore led
many people to predict the end Of the
convention system Of nomination. It
looks as II the end were in sight.