Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-09-11
DIRECT PRIMARY
LAW BOOSTED
SiIzer Says Attempts to Re-
peal 1t Must Fail Home
From Shore

METUCHEN. Sept. 11.-Judge
George S. Silzer, Democratic candi-
date for governor, who has just re-
turned home from a brief visit in At
lantic City, today Issued the follow
ing statement on the direct primary
| law:
Il must confess that / have been
misled OF the question of direct pri-
maries, for l thought it could not be
an issue in New Jersey, since the
people of this state are such strong
advocates of it.
! When Hamilton Keln came out
tic repeal the Law and | witnessed
the sham-battle between Mr.. Run
yon and Hamilton kean. (the hess
of Union county, and Mr.. Munyon's
! riEcipal hacker { was merely am
used. 1t was funny to see Mr.. Kean
set up the straw-man and see Mr..
Runyon sail into him, knock him all
over the mat and at last emerge vic
%torious for direct primaries.
But since l bring to mind certain
events in the near past, l am on
WINGED that there is real danger of a
repeal of the direct primary law.
Senator Capper of Kansas. Re-
publican. head of tbe farm-bloc and
recognized national progressive lead
er, has called attention to what was
| going on. In a. recent speech in the
senate he said:
".Evidence of a careful systematic
to undermine public
confidence in state primary laws
with a view to bringing about their
repeal, and a return to the selection
of candidates by party conventions,
is seen under the recent criticism of
primaries by President Harding, Sec
rotary of War Weeks. and Senator
Watson of Indiana.
When Senator Caprer-a Repub-
lcan-hnu II necessary 10 can pup
Tic ttentio TO the TACT Una me ad-
ini~hiseia.ioh Is making tiis SINISTER
mort 10 ,n"a" tne VIII OIL tne PEG,
Pc tneh 'nele mus pe uanser' anu
'h1 no'eio oilouiu oe "a.cIiiuL
;,n .nmnh .ha natinnaS Dc
,nS n" Una,uton
non $3.50. -.
for NJ, ronsev hoe doniarad ~"
.oif for tho ropeoi If The direc+ mi
mary law
"Edwora r. ctoLos bas ,,so ex-
,u.aaa IA so,tn,on VIII two
n,awhors ~ tho ho,rd 90 ~rdi
fa,,anohIo n,d .ho third NJ poi,d
of camden svmnathetic there can
ho No do,h. of tbo rosu1, II a Re-
nnh,ic,n Iogis1oture 10 elected eyen
tbough M Runvon hos declared for
tha prir,or,
"If aIected hy tbese hosses will
+hou re- ,sa NJ Runvon,s Ian
a,ng .damord +boir mound Of
Sosh ava can ho refuse 40
"Aftar re sorrowfuI evnerienco II
i; not srrnrising that The admins
tr,tior 6nds II m re-
naai tho d{,.ot nrimary law II
stil, hos IN ,oind Cifford Pincbot,s
nor,in,t;on for covernor in pennsvl-
vania Re~veridee,s in Indiana. and
otbers which thev could have nre-
vented urder tho old system.
.~Tbis suhiect is NOT new 10 me. for
was one of those who secured the
on.ntronrt of tbis Law in snite of the
bosses NOT onlv did help enact it,
hut ioined with those who drew the
attention Of tbe neople TO the condi-
tion that existed so that the public
mind would give its support. Bosses
in both parties were in absolute con-
tnoI NJ NAV could ha elected TO
public office unless he had the ap-
nrovaI If the bosses. 1t was i'm
possible to get uast the barrier
erected by them in the convention
srsten rive voters had no choice
~ to a1oct ono of two Il
ninked for tben, II was not govern
r,ant hv Tho neonle
"Tbis condition nermitted a strong
combination with vested and special
interests who were given special
nrivileges and exemptions to the
datriment of the nublic.
Now anv man NAV assert himself
~ ,rl ,,,b,,;t bis capdi-