Little Prospect For Primary Reform

As time advances the probabilities of anything like an effective primary election law being passed by the present legislature become beautifully less. The same old gang that did primary reform to death two years ago are on murder bent this session. The same ripper gang is back of the legislative gang, too. It looks now as though the special acts for Wayne and Kent counties will be killed off and no legislation of this kind passed.

All this goes to show how utterly unresponsible legislators are to public opinion unless that opinion be expressed in thunder tones. The desire for a primary election law is very general on the part of the rank and file of the voters of the state. Nevertheless the republican state convention inserted a plank in its platform which showed conclusively that the party had no intentions of doing anything adequate for the people on the question. Nevertheless the people upheld the republican party and consequently they have no kick coming even though no reform of the present corrupt and unrepresentative caucus and convention system is secured. It was pretty clearly made known during the canvass that no primary reform was intended unless the demand of the people should become so insistent that it could not be defied with safety. No such condition has manifested itself and consequently it is not probable that any adequate law will be passed and probably none at all.

A great trouble with our manner of taking the judgment of the electors is that we have no means of voting directly on any question or principle in general practice. We are accustomed to vote for party tickets instead and so the party label comes to mean more than principle or issues. On this particular question, could it be submitted to the people directly, it would undoubtedly carry by an overwhelming majority. Yet because of the inability to get it directly before the people their wishes are defied from session to session in the interest of the bosses and corrupt politics. Direct legislation would tend to overcome this condition of things and materially aid the people in working their will into legislation. Direct legislation, or rather the machinery enabling the people to resort to it, would tend to make our representatives, so called, more responsive to the public will. It ought to be incorporated into our constitutions and laws.