The Washington times., 1922-05-19


souri, hear 1t 10
almost solidly helping Mr.. Brecken.
ridge Long and doing it's best
to stop and throw Mr.. James A.
Reed in the race for United States
Senator. Such facts seemed to be
inconsistent with the original theory
Of the direct primary-which is an
institution now under much fire.
The public might well watch that
fire.
Under the original theory the di.
rect primary was to be itself the
means by which the party would
discover its party organization can
didate. Anybody who wanted to run
for a nomination was to run for il
and then at the end OF the running
the party organization would say,
"Ah, now we know what we think.
Here is our candidate" That was
the original theory and the fact that
II was is proved by what took place.
for instance. in New York at the
time when the first direct primary
bill was under consideration.
Charles Evans Hughes. then gov
ernor of New York. wanted candi-
dates to be able to run with a party
ganization Endorsement II they
could get IT, The true, orthodox
friends OF the direct primary rejected
that idea. They wanted candidates
to run in nobody's livery but their
own. We perceive now that the
liveries of the party stables are get
ting cheered-or cursed-in the di-
rect primary races just about as
much as in the regular election
races. The consequences are very
handiCapping TO a certain sor. OF
candidate whom the inventors of the
direct primary wanted especially 10
bring forward.
II is to be noted that PinChot in
Pennsylvania and Beveridge in lit
diana have personal fortunes which
enabled them to leave their plows
and their pens and pay no attention
to any means of livelihood and give
their time lavishly to trnversing their
States scattering the good news OF
their availability for office and of
their ambition for II. Even then
they had to traverse and to scatter
for a very long time indeed in order
to nose out the candidates of the
regular State party organizations. 1t
cost them many months OF effort.
No independent candidate who was
poor could have afforded that effort.
He could not have absented himself
for all that time from earning his
living.
It is true that Mr.. Reed of Miss.
ouri-who is not rich-is now max
ing a protracted campaign against
Lone and apparently viii spend
week after week doing il all over
Missouri between now and the day
Of the primary in August. But how
is he able to spare those weeks?
Because he is already in public
office in the Senate and because he
is able to absent himself from the
duties Of that office without getting
fired from II by the natural auto
matte click Of the time clock. Reed
Is surely not to be criticized for
not being in Washington. II he is
going to get up any sort of winning
speed against Long he has got to
be in Missouri and he has to be
there a great deal. He has to be
there so much that the amount Of
time thus taken from his senatorial
duties is scandalous-scanda not
to him but to our election system.
This amount Of time would be
great in any case under our pres
ent direct primary ideas and habits,
but It becomes even greater-much
greater-when Reed has to over.
come not only Long but also the
Missouri Democratic State Com.
mittee. That committee sees a
duty to be against Reed. 1t sees
a duty to be for Long. Most of it's
members in the communities which
they represent and where they have