The Owosso times., 1922-08-04

The direct primary method OF
nominating candidates for public Of
fee has been the subject of a good
many informal conferences among Re.
publicans here during the last few
weeks. AS result Of these confer.
ences the party In power will not
lead an attack on thedirect primary
at this time. Instructions are
to go out to Republican state leaders
that state conventions will do well
lead an attack on the direct primary
laws. The better plan, the instruc-
tions Will say, will be to declare for
revision OF existing laws with the
view to the correction Of some Of the
weaknesses Of those laws.
The primary system is not 80 popu.
lar as II was few years ago. Men
who had something to do with its In.
PRODUCTION are now inclined to favor
return to the convention system,
Dut the politicians-and particularly
the politicians who are at this time
up on the front row In the Repub-
ican party-are convinced that the
masses Of the voters feel 1t Is to their
Interest to have the primary system
retained. "The present Is an inoppor-
tune time to demand a return to the
convention system everywhere" say
the Republican leaders.
With the Republicans disinclined to
go on record in favor of a repeal Of
state primary laws, the subject will
hardly become an issue In the cam
paign next fall. The Democrats are
planning to stand by the primary sys-
tenn. 1t would seem that the trend
would naturally be toward campaign
discussion Of plans for improving the
various state primary systems. Next
January the legislatures Of about two
thirds Of the states will meet, and.
undoubtedly, many proposals relating
to primary election laws will be made
There Is growing demand that the
state systems be made uniform as far
as possible; and there Is a call for
the simplification of some Of the state
laws on the subject.
Primaries Disreaarded In 1920.
Two years from now another pre-
convention national campaign Will
be under way, and the primary laws
In the states that survive next years
round Of legislatures will be in force
then. In 1920 the presidential prima.
ries conducted under state laws, al
though they aroused much interest
and called out large vote, did not
hox In 20 40 ha
tiOns made by the two old parties.
At both Chicago and San Francisco
the verdict or mandate Of the pri.
maries was disregarded. The profess
sional politicians Of the old school In
the old parties do not wish to be
bothered with the presidential prefer
ence primary, and II may be that, in
spite Of the hands-off policy the Re
publicans have decided to follow for
the present, there will be a demand
on the next January legislatures that
states repeal laws providing for presi-
Dental preference primaries.
There Is a good deal Of agitation for
federal presidential preference pri.
mary law-agitation that comes from
the progressives In both the old
parties-but there are many obstacles
in the way of the enactment Of such
q law. The outlook for II Is not as
good as II appeared few years ago.
Cabinet Opinion Divided.
No attempt is made to conceal the
fact that the Presidents official fam.
lily is divided on the question as to
whether the existing primary or any
sort of a primary system should be
retained. John w. Weeks. secretary
Of war, revealed the situation in the
cabinet when, in speech in Cleve-
land recently, he declared his oppOsi-
tion to the existing primary system.
The secretary did not pretend to
speak for President Harding; that
was not necessary, for the President
has on several occasions spoken for
himself. He does not like the exist
ing primary system, but he Is enough
Of politician to realize that the
present Is probably not the time for
making the system a political issue,
and so he is in sympathy with the
party decision 10 keep hands off the
system for the present at least.
! At least two members Of the cabi-
net, Charles Evans Hughes, secre-
tary Of state, and Herbert Hoover
secretary Of commerce, are ardent
advocates Of the primary method Of
nominating candidates and they are
in favor Of improving the present
state primary laws. Secretary
Hughes was, Of course. the father Of
the primary legislation in New York
state. He had II out with the bosses
on this subject while governor, and
he has never chargei his mind about
the wisdom of enacting wise primary
legislation. After the election Of Mr..
Harding as President, and before the
Inauguration. Mr.. Hughes made a
speech In Indianapolis in which he
severely criticised the political forces
that were seeking to destroy the pri.
mary. That speech was made at a
time when II was generally under
stood that the reactionaries in the
old political parties were planning a
raid on the state primary laws.