Story of the Session of the California Legislature of 1909Hichborn, Franklin
History
Story of the Session of the California Legislature of 1909
Hichborn, Franklin
California -- Politics and government
The name of a candidate for the United States Senate did not, under the
original Wright-Stanton bill, go on the final ticket. His choice was
confined to the primaries and was at best to be regarded only by the
legislators of his own political faith. The People of California were
not to be given a direct vote in the selection of United States
Senators, as are The People of Oregon.
If the framers of the Wright-Stanton Primary bill thought that their
compromise on the United States Senator feature of the measure would
placate the machine, they were much disappointed. The machine fought the
arrangement for popular selection of United States Senators within party
lines as positively as it would have combated the Oregon plan itself.
Under either plan, the machine recognized there was always danger that
the selection of a United States Senator would actually be made by The
People. This would mean loss to the machine of Federal patronage, and
Federal patronage is the sure rock upon which the machine in California
is founded. Indeed, had either plan been incorporated into law, the
re-election of Senator Frank Flint would have been made practically
impossible. So the machine fought the Wright-Stanton plan as stubbornly
as it would have opposed the Oregon plan.
On the other hand, the best supporters of the Direct Primary idea were
much disappointed that the Oregon plan had not been incorporated into
the bill. Not a few of them grew lukewarm in their support of the
measure. The extreme partisanship of its provisions and the failure to
provide for popular selection of United States Senators hurt the measure
with its friends, and failed to placate its enemies. From the beginning
the most effective arguments against the bill were found in the bill
itself.
This was demonstrated at the public hearing, held January 26th, to
consider the various provisions of the measure. The principal speakers
were Hiram Johnson and Judge John F. Davis.
Mr. Johnson dealt with the Direct Primary in a general way. He spoke of
it in its relation to practical politics, showing that an effective
Direct Primary would place this Government of ours back into the hands
of The People. That is what was wanted. Every point Johnson made was
received with applause from the crowd that packed the Senate Chamber.
And when Johnson concluded with an appeal for "a Direct Primary law that
shall be a Direct Primary law in substance and not in form alone," he
was cheered to the echo.
Judge Davis was not so fortunate in his text as was Mr. Johnson. Davis
was there to discuss the details of the bill. He had scarcely begun
before he found himself between a cross fire of questions from those on
the one side who wanted an effective measure passed and on the other
from those who wanted no Direct Primary at all. The opponents of the
Direct Primary scored few points; the believers in the measure did.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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