The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1924-12-25
incoming Legislature May Get
Whack at Present Compli-
cations and Conflicts.
MAcKAY PROPOSES DELAY
Senator Would Have Revision Body
Named to Draft Act for 1926 SEES
sion-urees Law to Establish
Owners Ability to Pay.

VIII have the attention OF the lnCOm-
ing Legislature and the Republican
| leaders are expected to get back of
the plan Senator Mackay, of Bergen,
one of the most active of the party
leaders, has brought the matter to
practical stage by announcing that
early in the session he will move for
the creation of a commission to study
the subject and daft such proposed
amendments as may be deemed nee
essary to meet the requirements of
the situation.
But the Senator does not expect to
get the reforms into instant action!
He proposes to have the commission
study the matter and report to the
session Of 1926. 1t is possible that he
has IN contemplation the coming cam
paign for Governor which might be
affected by radical changes, but why
parent to the ordinary observer. Need
for the overhauling of the law has
been known to about everybody who
1. concerned in the elections, and
most of the country and municipal
officers are familiar with about every
detail to which attention will be di-
rected in the proposed changes.
Some of the members-elect favor ac-
ton on the move as soon as the law
making body gets into motion in Janu-,
airy, with an understanding that the
commission provided for would get on
the job at once and report to the 1925
session instead Of waiting a year.
They clam that it offers no insuper-
able obstacle, since nearly every pro-
posed change has become familiar to
those who viii be charged with draft
ing the amendments, and while the
revamped measure would involve a
volume of time for its correct printing
and consideration, there could be no
good reason for neglecting it. Moth
ing is saved by short sessions of the
Legislature, and when matters of Sc
rious import to the people are in need
Of careful attention longer sitting is
fully justified, they claim.
In the final analysis the party lead
ers will be obliged TO pass judgment
upon the plan, anyway, and nothing
would be gained by delay.
Among the foremost of the pro-
posal5 for alteration in the election
machinery is the shift of the primary
day from September to April or May.
United States Senator Edge and his
Heutenants endeavored to put that
change across last year and got part
through with it, but lost out finally.
Chief of the reasons for this amend
ment is that candidates for the United
States Senator and Governor are sub
jected ID two long and costly cam
paigns now necessary first, for the
party nomination and then for the
election. 1t is also claimed that with
the primary in the spring the situation
could be cleared up without all the
agony and suspense, but such argu-
ment goes only part way in the solu-
ton of the problem. The candidates
would probably start in their quest
along about Christmas in order to pre-
pare for the spring cleanup Others
not so directly affected express the
belief that spring primaries would be
far better han the present dates, and
1t looks as though that preference
might prevail in the revision.
Whether the abolition of general
primary is also contemplated has not
teen discussed in circles of authority
s far, but there are many practical
men in the State who believe that re-
suits have proved the system far from
satisfactory. The theory of it's adop-
ton was based upon the notion that
better men-and women-would be
chosen for the public Office; that the
party machines would be out of busi-
ness and everything political cleared
of all the barnacles which had clogged
government.
No such higher standards have been
attained Those who have been in
chinery of the State have discovered
no appreciable advance in the calibre
of those chosen to be parts of it. in
general the diverse is more nearly
accurate
The people who were expected to
rush enthusiastically to the primaries
and pick the very best material as
their representatives have not rushed.
They stay away just as thoroughly
and completely as in the days when
the bosses took especial care of the
tickets and commanded the situation
The bosses have not been shelved.
| They are called by other names, but
they are in power just the same. The
gist of the matter is that candidates
are now chosen with greater regard
for the possibilities of commanding
support from some particular section
or group of voters, racial, religious or
commercial.
Is might be possible, too, for the
proposed commission to give serious
consideration to the adjustment Of
the present ineffective state ccnven-
ton which follows the primaries by a
week The only function of the con-
ssntior is the adoption Of the party