Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-04-29

&-e
INCONSISTENT PRIMARY LAW

Tuesdays primaries has brought OH
q glaring Inconsistency in the law a!
it stands today. This was the frs
test of q presidential primary and i
was to be supposed that when put into
practice faults would be found tina
would have to be corrected to make
The primaries what they are intended
10 be,
The main object OF a presidential
primary Is to secure direct from the
people an expression as to whom they
prefer for their party's candidate for
President in the coming campaign.
incidentally, the voters choose dele
gates at the same time that they state
their preference, who are to represent
them at the convention where the
presidential candidate Is nominated,
and who are to carry out the instruc-
lions given them at the primary.
This Is all there should be to the
presidential primary and II strictly
adhered to the people would come as
near naming their own presidential
candidate as 1t is possible for the peo-
pie In "a great nation of over one hun
dred million people to do.
But the primary law as 1t stands
today complexities things considerably
by making It possible to run men for
11yornF1u urIn h1 "a o1pp4dW nlG6Ua1
themselves to vote for a certain candi-
date for the presidential nomination
regardless OF whom a majority OF the
voters may favor at the primary. The
returns from Tuesdays primaries
show that IN addition to United States
Senators Frelinghuysen and Edge,
former Governor Stokes and former
acting Governor Runyon were elected
delegates-at-large from New Jersey.
While the two United States senator's
are u~npledged excepting that they
agree to vote for tho nomination Of
the man for whom q majority of h
voters expressed Il preference at the
primary, Messrs. Stokes and Runyon
had already pledged themselves to
vote FOR the nomination of General
Weed regardless of whom a majority
of tho voters showed a preference for
at the primaries.
Had the voters shown a preference
1or Senator Johnson for the presiden-
tial nomination. therefore.-and john
son came SO close to securing the pref
erence that the election Is really a
great triumph for him-these two
delegates pledged to Wood woul have
been put In the embarrassing position
of going to the convention and voting
for a man other than the man they
Were instructed to vote for at the pri-
maries.
Such a situation as this should not
be possible. The law providing for a
presidential primary ought to be
amended so as to make 1t impossible
for would-be delegates TO pledge
themselves beforehand to any candi-
date for the presidential nomination.
The petition which the person who
would be O delegate fles with the
secretary of state or the county clerk,
rs the case may be, should be in the
form of o pledge that. II chosen a
delegate, he will vote at the nven
tlon for the candidate for whom a
majority of the voters express a pref
erence at the primary. Then those
who favor any particular man for the
presidential nomination can nave that
candidates name placed at the top
of the ballot and conduct a campaign,
If desired. to get tho voters to express
q preference for their man, Just as
Senator johnson did In his own behalf
In this state last week.
AS for the delegates. however, they
should receive their instructions only
from the people and be free to vote
for any candidate hat u majority of
those voting at the primary express a
preference for. The Inconsistency of
h present primary ballot should be
removed.