Show Mr Lafollette Proposes Pi Presidential Primaries E ATOR LAFOLLETTE is devoting de most of oft t SENATOR his time an and energy Y of his Washington press priss i f n agency enc to the thc advocacy er of presidential primaries i I in each state for the selection of delegates to the thet t Republican national convention His Ilis pu publicity promoter has hns written letters to Republican national national na lIa- na- na committeemen committeemen governors gO mill and of officers officer f of this the legislatures of each encl state stale asking that this he be bedone helone lone done and offering to submit his chances to the thc f Republican voters in each commonwealth There i arc me five states in which there arc statutory requirements re requirements re- re of this kind The Thc Wisconsin candidate for the tho pr presidency i is well 11 aware that it would be impossible to arrange for such primaries in most states under official supervision Such method could be introduced t only by act net of the thc legislature and considerably c l less s than third one-third the states will have session r of their legislatures between now and next July Tuly when the national conventions will ill be bc I held In those states where legislative c sessions willbe will willbe be held this winter members of the le legislatures were were chosen without reference to their attitude on presidential primaries Battle Bob is well aware that this is a question upon which no le legislator would record himself in the absence of an express expression s sion of opinion from irom his constituents Therefore in making the suggestion which he desires to be interpreted as an apt e expression of his confidence that thc the great mass of Republican voters are arc his supporters Senator Lafollette Lt knows mows he is asking something that t could not be accomplished It would be po possible sible to hold unofficial unofficial unofficial un un- official primaries over which there would be no authoritative supervision but that would be no change from the system now in use For instance in Utah the Republican voters oters of each election division in the state will meet to choose their delegates to the thc state convention con The state convention will then choose e tho those e delegates delegates delegates dele dele- gates which shall represent the state in the thc Republican Republican Re TIe publican national convention That will b bo be the most direct e expression of the wishes of the rank and file of the thc party which could possibly be de de- de used The Lafollette argument that bosses bosse dictate the delegates cannot be le substantiated in Utah or orin orin orin in in any other state because became the district primaries or caucuses are arc regularly called and every Republican Republican lican Hean voter oter in the district ha has the thc ri right ht and the thc opportunity opportunity opportunity op op- to express his llis wishes The Thc demagogic ie tendencies of the thc V Wisconsin senator arc are impossible of concealment He i is well aware that he has IUIS nothing to lose by hy his hi attitude and it may it-may may have ha its effect upon those weak souls who re regard bombast as ag honesty and confess a weakness calmes for those who assume a virtue though they have it not Battle Bo Bob knows as well as does eloes everybody else ele that t. 1 Taft is the thc choice of the thc Republican lican voters oters for re Tn In an any event the nominee r of the HIe Republican national convention will be a Republican one who is loyal to the thc party palt and who has been trying to strengthen it rather than to destroy it The Republicanism of MY Mr Lafollette i. i is open to consi considerable doubt O 1 t the acid test is likely likely like like- ly to be applied to it if hc lie is so foolhardy as to Continue during the coming comin session ion of the the Senate tIle the policy which in the thc past has made him no no- t. |