Salt Lake Tribune | 1911-05-20 | Page 1 | Governor Wilson Puts in Busy Day

MY New Jersey Executive Explains His Conception of Oregon Direct Di-rect Primary System. PORTLAND, Or., May Ml. Governor Woodrow Wilson todu and tonight put in one of ihe busiest days he has experienced ex-perienced since his "swing around the country'1 began. -Today he was the guest o honor. at a luncheon given under the direction of "Oregon advocates of .better government," gov-ernment," and this cvning he was the special dinner guest of the University club. Tonight he "spoke to 4000 people who packed the Armory to listen to an address which largely was devoted to his conception of tho meaning and purpose pur-pose of what popularly is known as the "Oregon direct .primary system." The noonday luncheon whs attended by 200 business and professional men, including many advocates of the single tax system, the Oregon primary S3's-tcm, S3's-tcm, representatives of labor organizations organiza-tions and capitalists. Governor Wilson told them all that tho people of Orogon were utlerlj- foolish fool-ish in paying legislators but $3 a da3', and that the people of New Jersey were no more wise in paying their legislators but $500 for each session. He said thai such systems of remuneration were inadeqiiafc, and that it could not bo expected that legislators under such conditions would be wholly "free from temptation." Ho told his audience that ho was "still obstinate and obdurate" in his opposition to the application of tho recall S3'slom of the judiciary, which ho said meant "if the decision does not suit, then change the judge instead of the law." Tonight, at tho Armory, Governor Wilson praised the direct, primary system, sys-tem, which ho said had "broken the back of the machine."