Show WRITES IN FAVOR OF PRIMARY PLAN Former ormer President Roosevelt Takes Up the Cudgels in Behalf of Hughes SOME FAULTS IN SYSTEM y ON THE WHOLE HOWEVER COLONEL WOULD ADOPT IT New York July 17 6 Former President 4 desla U with Governor Hughe tb tM Jf N Hew w York Yerk 2 legislature le anti and primary reform In 18 M a signed SRM editorial article la to I the tIM ef ot the Ute Outlook Mr writes all as follow follows I believe HI belle that Governor r Hugh has hase been e n supported opposed by bJ tb the be bulk of ot the tile thewl wl t MM sad Mont MOIl people p an se r N n rde most meet on of ot ho measures rell and ana J M and ADd si d I 1 that tt this thle hoe has hA been be n markedly the tho case cane as regards primary I k know ow that many tannest henet hoa and sincere sin sincero cero cere men illeR are OB OR principle to Governor Hughes Hughe on tb s point sad and I know also that the proposed reform will possibly h less lens I than its 18 extreme advocates expect while I am amwell amwell well flU aware as se of ot course coarse all thinking men must t b be that UM Us u worth ol of any such re In IR the last resort re ort de do depend d pend upon the character of ot the Ut voters voter and that no patent device delce will over ever se cure good Rood government until the people themselves devote sufficient energy time and Judgment to make the device work Some Evils Evil I Admitted Finally I freely admit that here bere and there theA whore the tho principle of direct nominations has hM been applied In too crude shape or It has ba bahUe while hUe abolishing certain evils evUs pro produced produced produced or accentuated others In certain certain cc tain tamn cases cased for Instance putting a pre premium upon the lavish expenditure of money But Dut while I freely admit all aU this I nevertheless feel in the first t place that on the fundamental Issue of ot direct primary nominations the governor Is as right and in in the the second camel place that as a athe the measure mea ure finally came up for action ac action tion Uen In the state legislature It was well nigh free freo from all objections save those of ot the men who object to It because be because cause caU they are fundamentally fun opposed to any change whatever in the desired direction The bill provided only for direct popular action In the primaries In rel relatively relatively relatively small maU geographical and political communities thereby making the ex ox experiment experiment first t whore there thero was least land s objection liability to serious objection and avoiding or deferring the task of dealing deal dool dealing ing n with with those big communities where the th difficulties and dangers to be overcome would be greatest greate t defeated by The Tho Republican party was WM In the tile majority In both houses of tho the legisla legislature legislature legislature ture which refused to carry out the theRe Republican Re governors recommendations and azul although It was only a L mi mf minority of oC the Ule Republican members I which brought about this refusal the Ule party part escape a measure of res responsibility pon for the failure but it Is only Just to remember that a clear clr ma majority majery jery of ot tho the Republican members of each house have supported the tile bill where whereas as or over of the Demo Democrats Democrats opposed It This Is III on one of ot th the oases where it la o easier to apportion Individual than han party part responsibility Those Tho e who believe that that by their action a Uon they have havo ha vo definitely checked the tho movement for lor or direct popular primaries primaries maries marles are in my Judgment mistaken In Its It essence this Is a L movement to tomake tomake make the government more mure democratic more responsive to the needs need and an wishes wl hes of tho the people as cs a whole With our political machinery ry it Is essential to have havo an efficient party but the ma machinery machinery chinery ought to be suited to demo democratic democratic democratic cratic and not oligarchic customs and habits Right night of at Self Government The question whether In a republic we shall shan have parties Is larger than toan the par particular particular particular bill ill We hold that the right of ot popular is Incomplete unless It Includes Include the right of ot the tho vot voters voters ers ere not merely morely to choose between can candidates candidates candidates I when they have been nominated but also the right to determine who these candidates shall be Under our system of or party part government therefore tho the voters should Be guaranteed tho the right to determine within the ranks of their respective organizations who tho the candidates of the parties will be no noless loss less than the right to choose choo o between the candidates when tho the candidates candidate are presented to them There Thoro Is 18 no desire to break brenk down the responsibility of or party part organization under duly constituted party part leader leadership le leadership der ship but there Is I a desire to make this responsibility real and to give the members of ot tho the party part the right to say I Y I whom they desire to execute this lead leadership leadership leadership In New York Tork state no small part of or the strength of the tho movement movements has s come from the popular conviction that many of ot the tho men most moat prominent in party leadership tend at times to forgot forget that in a 0 democracy the tunc function function tion Uon of political leader must normally normany be to lead not to drive Lenders lender I Not Whole Thing We tho men who compose the great bulk hulk of the community wish to govern ourselves Wo Yo welcome leadership leader but buttie tie v wish our to understand that they derive their strength from us usand usand and that although we WP look to them for guidance we expect this guidance to be bein beIn bein in accordance with our Interests and our Ideals I believe bellevo that t the tIie e people of ot New NewYork ew York Tork state stale will in the end ond insist on taking a more direct part in the nomi nomination nomination nomination nation of candidates because cause I believe they will grow more an dmore to insist In Insist st on Just the tho kind of guidance and leadership that I have mentioned |