The New York herald., 1922-05-07
Where the Direct Primary Fails
Ex-Justice Woodward Describes the Advantages o
Nominations by the Town Meeting System.

WoodfrGrd Of the Supreme Court at the
honor Of former Justice Harrington Putnam.
county boss fought for his existence
every year, and in the counties where
was most actively interested In politics
the so-called bosses were beaten over
half the time. and man strongly in
| trenched In one small town, in one small
county, had fulcrum on which to rest
his political lever and he could be pres
ent at practically every political gather
ing and make himself heard and felt
This system produced such Governors
as Tilden, Cleveland, HILL Morton, Black,
Roosevelt and Hughes. because there was
the wedding out process that followed
consultation and deliberation, and only
the higher grade man survived for real
consideration for the really high places.
All this is now changed. Well mean
ing people who lacked the faculty for
political leadership and success believed
that new rules OF the game would give
them better chance, and the cry that
the people would be their own bosses
made the scheme of direct primaries
popular. These direct primaries have
already largely changed and IL contin-
ued will completely change our political
system
There is no conference or consultation
In the small communities. no town meet
ing. no town delegate to represent his
town, no political acquaintance or COM
mon political purpose among neighbors,
nothing occurring in which political
sagacity and ability can be either de-
veloped or displayed, and the result is
perfectly dead political level through
out the State. Any one here who has
kept track of the politics of New York
State for the last thirty years cannot
help. when he looks about him now, to
be impressed with the fact that political
leadership or boss-ship Is now a perma-
nent thing and unless death has removed
them every man In every large commu-
nifty in the State of New York who was
in a position of political leadership when
the direct primary law passed twelve
or fifteen years ago is still in that
leadership, and with good health and
the present system continuing l think
that my esteemed friends McCooey, Liv-
ingston, Murphy Koenig, Ward. Barnes,
Aldridge Greiner. Fitzpatrick, Fancher
anu JOnH l.. " Will cOTlplclt lheit
lives in this honorable leadership.
And yet if you were to consult with
any one of these men 1 have no doubt
that he would tell you that the present
system, which leaves them undisturbed
in their preeminence, is absolutely fail
ing to develop young men of political
capacity, and IL any of you will run
over in your minds the men who have
been succeeding in politics in the last
fifteen years. and particularly those who
have gone on the bench in rural sec
well advanced in years who received
their political education in the old con-
vention days, and that no youthful COM
petitors have arisen under the present
system.
When went on the bench in the
Eighth judicial district there were not
less than half a dozen Judges in the
district who were under the age of forty
five and some well under forty: to-day
there is not one under forty-five, al
though the number Of Judges has been
increased in the district from ten to
fourteen during the time. What is true
And without dwelling further upon it
I want to- impress upon those in hear
ing that this blessed system is not de-
veloping political character or political
leadership.
1t was inaugurated, as I have before
said. by people who meant we'll but who
were not educated on the practical or
philosophical side of political affairs. If
It were not for the fact that those who
inaugurated 1t were people of good in
tentions / would be tempted TO quite
the famous remark of Roscoe Conkling
when he said, when DIR. Johnson wrote
that patriotism was the last refuge of
the scoundrei he little dreamed OF the
enormous possibilities In the word re-
FORM" The possibilities of that magic
word are as great with people of mis-
guided good intentions as with the
class referred to by Senator Conkling.