The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-03
Primary Day-Repeal the Foolish
and Futile Law!

The voters Of this State-or some
small part Of them-are to engage
to-day in an unnecessary and more
or less farcical performance useful
only in illustrating again an eternal
truth which is beginning to glimmer
in the perception Of the American
people.
The function Of constitutional gov
eminent in the State and in the ma
tion with regard to the choice Of pub
lie officers properly concerns the cleo
ton itself and not the preliminaries
10 the election. The regulation and
management Of the party machinery
for the selection Of candidates be-
long to the citizens themselves in
their individual or associated capa-
city except, Of course, so far as au-
thority may be called upon to inter-
vene to prevent or punish political
practices obnoxious to the ordinary
criminal code. In sound politics there
Is no reason why the Federal or the
State Government should interfere
with or even ofiicially recognize the
various party organizations until
such time rs their members approach
the ballot box to elect. For every
argument Of supposed expediency
calling for governmental control of
the primaries in order that the popu-
lar will may prevail IN the designa-
ton Of candidates for election day
there is an equally good argument
for a system Of pre-primaries, Off
cially regulated, In order that the
popular will may be reflected in the
selection of pre-candidates at the pri-
maries aspiring to be candidates at
the election; and so on, ad infinitum.
The experiment Of overregulation
of political processes preliminary to
election day has now been carried on
over a field sufficiently wide and dur
fng q period sufficiently long to afford
a fair demonstration of It's folly and
futility. In State after State the
vote on primary day has dwindled
with each recurring year. In Wyo-
ming. for example, only 20 per cent.
Of the electorate voted at last weeks
primaries, against 25 per cent. at the
preceding primaries, and against IS
per cent. at the first trial Of the sys-
tenn. Heaven knows that throughout
the Union the results Of the direct
primary, in the matter Of the I'm
provement Of the character or ability
Of candidates for ONCE and the elm
snation Of the evils Of selfish ambi-
ton and sinister machine rule have
not been such as to compensate for
the vastly increased expense and trou-
ble involved in the pr6longation Of
the season Of acute political activity.
This is to put the case in the most
moderate fashion. No wonder the
citizens and voters Of some Of the
States have been so disguised with
the failure of their direct primary
laws to produce the benefits promised
that they are denouncing the system
and clamoring for its abolition.
1t is high time that the wretched
failure Of the direct primary In New
York and elsewhere should be recog-
nixed as a concrete, particular and
dismal fact of political experience.
And the fact remains the same
whether Governor WHITMAN is re-
nominated to-day or is defeated by
Attorney General LEWIS; whether Al
FEED Il. SMITH or WILLIAM CHURCH
OssosH becomes by to-day's voting
the Democratic organizations Official
candidate for Governor.
The next Legislature can do no
better service to public policy and
common sense than to uproot the d.
rect primary humbug and allow the
nomina ting convention to reestab-
fish itself.