Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-05
BY CORINNE FRAZIER.


TN cablegram addressed to the
League of Women Voters, eight
national women's organizations of
i China have called upon women of
America for sympathetic under
standing toward China's struggle for
unity and peace. The organizations
signing the cable asked the league to
! convey the following message to the
| General Federation of Women's Clubs,
the National Women's Christian Tenn
perance Union and the Young WON.
ems Christian Association:
Greetings. China struggling for
national unity, international equality.
Unfortunate incidents unavoidable
gigantic revolution. Appeal for SYM
pathetic understanding Urge you
prevail your Government be first ne
gotiating new treaties with National
list Government"
The organizations signing the mes
sage from Shanghai were the Won.
ems Suffrage Association, Federation
of Women's Organizations, Women's
Christian Temperance Union of China,
Women's Industrial League, Women
Teachers Association, Girls Student
Union, Women's Rights League and
Young Women's Christian Associa-
ton.
Miss Lucille Atcherson, one of the
two young women representing the
United States Government in foreign
diplomatic service, was a visitor at the
headquarters of the National League
of Women Voters this last week. Miss
Atcherson has been serving as third
secretary of the legation at Bern,
Switzerland, since September, 1925,
and is now on her way to Panama,
where she has been assigned as first
secretary Of the American legation.
Miss Atcherson was in Washington
for only a day. en- route to New York
from Columbus, Ohio, her home town.
Pamphlets on subjects in the
leagues program are issued frequent
ly from the leagues national head
quarters. A most recent one, Nom
mating Methods" written by Miss
Helen NJ. Rocca Of Berkeley, Calf, for
the efficiency in Government depart
Is bringing condemnation from re-
search bureaus, college professors, ex-
perts on election laws, and public Of
ficials in all parts of the country.
In the pamphlet, which summarizes
and evaluates the nominating systems
now in use in each of the 4S States,
Miss Rocca presents. as her conclud-
ing thought, the belief that the pri-
mary is "likely to continue as the
dominant form of nominations for
some time to come"
Miss Rocca's study does not lead her
to coincide with the view which had
frequently condemned the primary as
too expensive. both to the public and
to the candidates. She sees no saving
to be effected by restoration Of the
convention system, unless it be the
unregulated convention with the par
ties permitted to conduct their own
primaries.
Even the most staunch advocate Of
the convention system would hardly
be willing to return to that kind Of
convention" Miss Rocca points out
yet 1t is clear that a primary held
for the purpose of choosing delegates
to a convention would cost approx
mately as much as one held for the
nomination OF candidates"
In assuming that the primary will
be retained in preference to a return
to the old-tirne convention system of
nominations, Miss Rocca predicts that
more progress win be made toward
correcting some OF the primary's de.
fects than has been made in the past.
THE primary, accompanied by the
long ballot, by the spoils system in
State government, by ineffective party
leadership, and by staggering cam
pafgn expenditures. is not likely to
stand" the pamphlet reads. 1.-The
specific improvements which must be
made before it can hope to work salts
factorily are the reorganization of
State and county governments to the
end Of shortening the ballot. the extern
sion of the merit system in public
employment, the development of party
unity and leadership through the party
conference and party managing com.
mittees, and some effective means of
limiting: campaign funds and regulat-
ing campaign expenditures"
1t is pointed out that condemnation
OF the primaries gained impetus
with the disclosures in the Sen.
ate Of the primary campaign ex.
penditures in Pennsylvania and in
Illinois. To Offset this, however, the
league pamphlet states that Senator
Wesley Jones of Washington spent
only $245 in winning the Republican
nomination against two contenders;
that Frederick Steiwer won the
Republican nomination in Oregon and
spent only $651.1S; that Senator David
I. Walsh spent nothing to win the
Democratic nomination in Massachu-