New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-13
THE COMMITTEE DESIGNATION
Substitutes Visible Responsibility
for Nominations for Invisible.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: | have read with interest your good
editorial on the subject Of direct nomina-
tions, called forth by exPresdent Tatts
criticism Of this reform 1t is a singular
thing that both friends and foes of direct
nominations, in their arguments upon this
subject, lose sight Of one phase of direct
nominations that, in the estimation Of Gov
ernor Hughes, was all important to the sue
cess of any direct primary law. This feat
ure is embodied in the law of no other state,
and was first incorporated in the Human
Green bill by the Brooklyn Young Republi-
can Club at the inception Of Governor
Hughes's fight for the reform in this state.
It is the so-called Committee" feature, not
embodied in the present law Of New York.
The Committee" system answers at once
the arguments of thousands OF fair, open
minded people, who claim like Mr.. Taft tina.
direct primaries have left the matter Of
nominations "up in the air" and have left
no one apparently charged with the respon-
sbility OF nominating good candidates. Upon
this very point we have the testimony Of
Frederick NJ. Davenport, candidate for Lieu
tenant Governor on the Progressive state
ticket-whom no one will accuse Of being
reactionary states in an article in one
Of the July, 1915, "Outlooks" that there IS
something decidedly lacking and disappoint-
ing in the operation of the direct primary
laws Of the various states. and refers to this
absence of Responsibility" as the cause.
We have, therefore, these two eminent au-
thorities looking at the subject from oppo-
site positions but both agreeing as to the
nature of the aiment Of direct nominations.
These gentlemen would have made a hap
pier selection Of terms had they said that
under direct primaries no one was vested
with. the visible and apparent" responsibility
for the selection Of good candidates, instead
Of saying that no one was vested with re
sponsiblity" for such selection. The party
machine always has been, is now and always
will be Irresponsible" for the selection OF
candidates, good or bad-but that response
/ bility always has been, and is still, secret,
invisible one, possibly more so under the
primary laws. The voter at the primary to-
day. if IL be the desire Of the machine, has
absolutely no tangible evidence that Will
identify the machine candidate from any
others. We cannot call the man nominated
]
any one else We can only eloluently refer
to him as the peoples choce"-the respon-
sibility is with the "people"-i. E., it is no
where. Most of the initiated know who is
responsible" for him, but they cannot prove
/ il to the rank and file. Under the Commit
tee" system there would be party commit
tee, in most cases composed of regular ma
chine gentry, for every Office to be filed
The committee would meet publicly (afteg
/ first being elected by the party voters) and
publicly cast its ballots designating its
choice for the party's candidate for given
Office. The designation so filed would auto
matically place such candidates name on the
urinary ballot. Here we would have the
open. visible responsibility" Of the regular
party machine for this candidate. We would
/ know the names of the men on the commit
tee and we would know who, on the commit
/ tee, voted TO designate such candidate. In
more ways than one such committeeman could
be reached" BY the party voters if they ia
vored a bad candidate.
II the man so designated by the party
committee did not meet the approval of any
group of citizens, that group, or any other
group, would then be given a week to cir
culate a petition, getting a hundred or so
signatures to it, designating a man Of their
choice. THESE names, ]. e. the name or the
PARTY committee "designee" and the name
Of "designee" or "designees" named by a
group or groups Of citizens, would all go on
/ the primary ballot, the first position being
given to the name of the party committee
candidate-more for the purpose of singing
him out than OF giving him any advantage
or distinction as the machine candidate.
/ In nine cases out Of ten the party COM
aab ,rou1d ha tab1
In eight cases out of ten this would be 80