The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-17
C OverROr-eiect Miller and the State
wide Primary.


Senator ARTHUR CAPPER's Topeka
Capital takes issue with THE New
YORK HERALD regarding the failure
Of the direct primary system to pro-
duce in this State the good results
which It's honest advocates hoped and
expected from its operation. II d.
tects reaction" in Judge MnLER's
pledge to recommend n return to the
convention method OF expressing the
purposes and will OF party organiza-
tons. 1t says, in the first place. that
the direct primary in the true form
was never adopted in~New York, and,
in the second place-speaking gener-
ally and without special reference to
New York-that nobody can doubt
the good results who is old enough
to remember what politics was in the
days of machine boss rule before
"the people rose In their anger and
overthrow bossism in politics." I'm
der the primary, II says, "the machine
boss has gone out of business and
no longer exists"
Our esteemed contemporary makes
the mistake of confusing the theo-
retical operations of plausible idea
of election machinery with the prac-
teal operations OF that idea as ex-
hibited by actual experience. There
is no reaction" I'm the Abandonment
or modification of n thing which has
had fair test and has VIGOROUSLY
failed to meet expectations. What
ever may be the case in Kansas or
elsewhere, the Statewide DIRECT pri-
mary as tried In New York has not
proved itself success in improving
political conditions, In rendering more
effective the interest OF citizens in
party management, or in curbing lille
Ultimate power Of party leaders.
The contrary has been the case and
the contrary has been shown by I'M
mistakable demonstration during the
period of experiment. The Repubi-
can party, which Senator CAPPER will
probably recognize as the proper
agent of electoral reform here or else
where, has become so thoroughly con-
WINGED of the folly and futility of the
existing substitute for representative
action by representative delegates in
a representative convention that 1t
would have abolished the system near
ly year ago If the bin for that pur-
pose had not been blocked by Gov
ernor SMITHS veto.
Goyernor-elect MmLER's position on
the Statewide direct primary is in
line with the desires and intentions
OF the party that carried New York
by more than million plurality in
the Presidential vote And this decision
is founded not on mere theory or in
political depravity, but upon expert
once; this desire is inspired by quite
impartial observation of the mlschlev-
breeder OF fractional disputes, as a
thing of inordinate and unnecessary
expense to the taxpayers. and as a
worthless substitute for the conven-
ton system as TO remedying whatever
was wrong in that system.
Moreover, the Republican intention
TO restore the State convention as n
more responsible and more trustwor-
thy agency for the selection Of State
candidates, for the formulation Of
state policies and for insuring the
performance Of party pledges is as
distant as the north pole Is from the
south from being move TO revive
and replace In business the machine
boss, who, Senator CAPPERs news.
paper says, has been driven by the d.
rect primary out Of existence, The
CGpitars remarks gu that branch OF
the subject have 30 bearing on the
question that IS bifore the people of
New York. Ours is a question Of
special fact. not Of general theory.
Wraneel's Defeat Leaves Other