The New York herald., 1921-04-11
MONDAY. APRIL IL, 1921.
The Fall of State Primaries.

49,
through this week there VIII be an
end of the New York primary sys-
TEN so far as concerns all candidates
for State offices, including United
States Senators and Supreme Court
Justices. This change will bring a
welcome relief from the most shock
ing political failure that ever looked
right in theory but went to smash
in practice.
If there was one hope that stood
out above all others regarding our
primary law before 1t vas adopted
ii was that under the new system good
men. men free from the leash Of poll
ticians ana men uf modest or even
no means would lie encouraged to go
into public life, since they coiild get
their commissions as caniidates from
the members of political party
rather than from political niachine.
But az matter of fact the expert
ment did not appeal to the general
membership Of the parties, 1t did
impose terrific burden of expense
upon any citizen desiring to ask menl-
bers of his party for a nomination
against his rivals, and it did put u
premium on what might be called
party organization blackmailing
Obviously anybody who is the nom
inee of his party receives its Imam
ciai support FOR the expenses that are
inseparable from wide and vigorous
canvass of the voters. This spares
him from the cost and the unsavory
features of such situations. But OBJ
viously also anybody who among sew
eral others aims to become the nomi'
nee of his party by selection at the
primaries must either out of his own
pocket or out of the pockets of his
friends finance his expenses in reacn-
ing the primary voters 10 get from
them the nomination. The greater
the number of primary candidates
the greater the necessity for spend
ing money, each against all the others
the more prodigious the total sum of
the spendings by them all.
Two painful results inevitably fol-
lowed the big money element which
manifested itself with the introduc-
ton Of the primary scramble system
I'm New York. No matter how well
fitted he might be for an important
Office and however willing he might
be TO give his superior abilities to
the public service. the man who did
not have q barrel OF money or could
NOT command somebody else's barrel
of money was barred from entering
the lists. On the other hand, the
politicnlly ambitious man who was
rolling In wealth. whatever his unfit.
ness, could always burst into the pri.
marles and either buy the nomination
outright or force the poorer candi
dates to spend SO much ns to ruin
themselves or send them to undesir
able quarters for financial help tC
resist the heavy drives or the mar
or men with gold bags
out of such situations arose pri
mary scandals as frequent as they
were flagrant. There was too thi
always INSCRIPTIONS adventurer who
threatened the party organization that
he would oppose It's favorites In the
primary unless he were taken care
Of. 1t cost money to fight him OFT
1t cost personal seif-respect and party
reputation to huy him off with sup
port for some Office.
And with all that TO dlscredit the
primary system and endanger the
whole electoral system the public OF
New York soon grew so to dislike and
shun 1t that the primary results were
often inconclusive OF what the party
voters wanted or even would stand
for on election day. In New York
therefore, there will he few mourners
when the Statewide primary law
goes 20 the political graveyard.