The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-03-21
|CHAIRMA AN HILLES URGES
NATIONAL PRIM AIRY DAY
Republican Leader Says the Absurdity of the Existing
Situation Demands Uniform Legislation for
Election of Convention Delegates.

aspirants for the Presidential nomina.
ton who are running in Minnesota that
liz. to sue az have had their names
placed On the preference ballot through
the fling OF papers with the Secretary
Of State.
There is no provision for second choice
In the Minnesota aw the delegate Is
pledged to vote for one man as long as
there Is a reasonable chance Of his
nomination. II a delegate is Ill. how
ever. or for any reason unable TO attend.
the alternate who sits In the convention
In his place Is under no pledge whatever,
as instead 81 being chosen by the cleo
tors Of the State or district he is APP
pointed by the delegate himself. In
this respect the statute seems to present
n decided Inconsistency.
Indiana's Law.
The Indiana law provides for the cleo
ton OF delegates by a state convention.
but also provides for a preferential vote
for a candidate for President or Vice.
President in a Statewide primary. l.
any candidate has received a majority of
the votes at the primary the delegates
shall he instructed By the convention ac-
cordingly n it shall be the duty Of
the delegates to cast their votes as a
unit for such candidate AS long as his
name shall be before the convention
Tho Texas primary law required that
two delegates be elected from zach Con-
g~ressional district. whereas under the
new plan OF representation most of the
districts In Texas are entitled To only
one delegate each In the Republican
national convention.
A section OF the statute. however.
makes the provisions OF the primary ac,
optional with parties polling less than
10000 votes at the preceding gubernI-
torial election. Therefore the Texas Re.
publicans can meet the rules ~ repre-
| s~entation as presented by the national
organization only by abandoning the
legal primary machinery.
In Massachusetts, a most anomalous
condition exists. due u the lack OF any
, regulation that will limit primary voting
to the bona fide members of a party In
whose interest the primary Is supposed
! 10 be held. As the law now stands
everybody in Observation-Disclosures
can. Democrat. Progressive. Prohibition
list, Populist. Socialist-can take part in
the selection OF Republican delegates. and
no in an expression Of choice a. to =
Republican Presidential cant date.
The temptation to member OF ans
party To NEEDLE In the primary affairs
Of their opponents is particularly strone
when there is no factlondl rivalry and
nv ~ ~ 80 NN'H
own camp. especially when II can Il"
done with the sanction of the law
Two state primaries for the election %
| delegates TO the PRESIDENTIAL conventions
those Of West Virginia and South Ia
kota-were fixed by law for a day witch
, this year falls on June 6. the day before
the convention IN Chicago. Frequently
| Republican national conventions nave
been held in May. and II a May date
I -A-,ll -. GN.t ne a,~ ss,,Nn "a, st. nt,AV
the situation with respect 10 States that
have su< late primaries would present
a serious complication. Recently a
special session OF the South Dakota
LEGISLATURE va called. AZ which "a Man
date was substituted.
Enough examples ave been presented
- show the ConHictiuc curiosities Of the
primary In i;- present relation tn~I'I.si-
dental nominations TlairlN some al
the laws were enacted without full higes-
ton of the conditions aIVly.nc to tho
situation in the broad sense. Hut after
the years OF experience we have had with
the primary II ought to be possible 20
fedraft the laws 80 that many Of the
most Objectionable features would dis
! appear.
The best suggestions a. 90 Uniformity
naturally will come through a study ot
the incorgruities and ON Of the actual
Inconsistencies Of existing primary
statutes. A definite and generally recog-
nized primary day viii eliminate one ~
~" causes OF complaint. II ough, upt
10 be very dinicu't to ind a common
ground for operation ard method that
would equsl!Zc the authority and icspuu-
sibility ~ delegates from the respective
states when they .i' ia nationa. ,unvcn-
ton. Uniformity of some sort-that ~
the essential thing
And finally the facts as 80 the char
acter OF political party ORGANIZATIONS
should not be FORGOTTEN or wholly dir
regarded With the due respect 10 the
relation they bear to the pub,ic they
ought not to he unteasouably restrained
A safe and sane uniform primary law
might well be drafted by u comm.tte,
t. he appointed for that purpose for to.
Republican convention in June.