Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-03-08

DIRECT PRIMARY TO DECIDE

nick out the delegates to the respec-
alive national conventions at which
presidential nominees are TO be named
are u~ncalled for. 1t makes no diff
ference who the leaders may favor as
delegates. the choice is to be made by
the voters at the presidential prl-
snaries to be held in this state the
satter part of April. The proper
nourse is for those desiring to run as
nelegates to announce themselves. In
form the voters how they stand IN
ftcard to the various names mentioned
In connection with the nomination for
president. and leave it for the voters
60 decide.
Recently certain Democratic state
seaders met and not only decided on
are men for delegates at large, but
sven went SO far as to announce the
~Folecates from the more important CON
gressional districts. On Friday the
Republican state leaders met ana
while not going quite as far as did
The Democratic leaders. did virtually
the same thing.
OF course there was nothing at
ptthor conference that could be called
n formal Endorsement, which Is pro-
hfbited by law, but there might Just
ss we'll have been Endorsements. The
yoters would be justified in showing
their resentment IL they wanted to.
The fact is, however, the voters In
wenerai are not very much interested
In such things nowaday7. P9rtisan
politics seem to be at a very low ebo'
Only some very live issue appeals to
the people sufficiently to induce them
10 turn out at the primaries and dis
nr~ininate between this or that aspif-
nnt for office. The result is. the men
who have the backing of the "organi-
nation usually win. The "organ1za-
kton" sees to 1t that its followers vote
and as the rest of the voters are in
aiyerent. the Organization nine
Ames out of ten. names the men 1t
wants.
The EVENING NEWS has been an
ardent supporter of the present direct
xgimary law and we still believe that
sha theory on which it is based Is
eight. It gives the rank and file OIL
h party the privilege of naming their
nwn candidates for Office. If the prl-
mary worked as it is expected to work
xhe max preferred by a majority or
Abe members of the party would DC
The party's candidate. No party boss
mould cram his favorite candidate
DOWN the throats of the members OF
ME marty through steam-roller pro-
needings at a convention.
But while the theory is all right
we are reluctantly forced to admit
that II does not work out very wei
In practice. Experience has shown
shat those candidates h a have tn
backing of the Organization
whether state or local. win out. Ii
Eact, it is difficult to get a man to run
for q nomination now unless hi
Knows he will have the support of hi
party organization.
But with all its faults, taken as {
whole, the primary law has many ad
y~antages. 1t places the machinery II
abe hands of the people. If they choos'
20 use 1t. whereby they may name JUS
she man they want regardless of wha
xhe party bosses or the Organization
may so or do. We admit that such In
stances are rare and some may ques
xion whether the advantages game
oyer-balance the disadvantages. w
believe they do. Then, too, perhap
shere will not be so much Indifferent
in regard to the primary when tn
women got the ballot.
We have q striking illustration {
che advantage of the direct primar
eight here In our own county In tn
sontast now shaping up between Ser
ator Brown and County Clerk Ganno
for delegate from the third distri'
10 the DeLnoCrdtlC udtAulia4 coANSASN
mere i. is pretty hard to tell jul
vi no Ii the Organization" man In tt
broad sense of the word. Senate
Brown by virtue of his office as Den
ooratio senator from Middlesex coun
must be recognized as n Of I'll
Democratic leaders. to say the leas
The influence that he Yields in Den
oeratic circles is greatly enhanced
his position rs leader of the Democrat
minority on the floor OF the sta
senate and by being a close advis'
of Governor Edwards. Then. too, Il
fact that Senator Brown along wit
Sheriff Ceran, of Monmouth count
was mentioned by he Democrat
state committee as a delegate fro
the third district to the San Francis
convention would indicate that Il
leaders In the state organization of Il
Democratic party are back Of hfr