The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-07-07
The Plurality Plan OF Primary EIec-
rFor the Daily Dispatch.J

The writer of this brief article Is very
old man, who has never ct any time ID MS
lie mcddled much with politics, but fees q
deem interest in the welfare OF bis native
s ME. and who believes that the plan OF q
urinary election put forth by the ConserVa-
tive committee, if finally adopted, may result
In great micchief to the Conservative part!
and seriously eudanger its success, at the next
election. Of representative IN Congress LOT
this district.
In former short article he has stated Two
objections 10 the plan above mentioned-ohe
of which is IFS intricacy, greater than tnat
involved in the method of electing Doge OF
Venice some centuries ago, and which, we
are persuaded, will prevent large. majority
of the voters from studying it sufficiently TO
comprehend its effect if they shall read 1t at
all.
Another objection, and far more impor-
tant one. il that it furnishes no guarantee
whatever that the wishes of majority Of
the voters will be carried into effect.
The votes cast are to be for tue candidates
for office and the Conservative committee
ale to appoint, upon the nomination of the
candidate himself, delegates to the nominal
ing convention, instructed to vote for the
candidate receiving the highest number of
votes In each ward. Now, If there should
,c onls two candidates in ward the poll
book might show very correctly which Of
those t,ro the voters of the ward, or major
it's of them, would prefer.
But suppose there should be three or more
candidates, perhaps half dozen IN ward,
and that the number Of votes received by the
candidate who might have plurality should
be less than a third or fourth Of the whole
numtr OF votes, as might easily happen,
what sort of test would the vote given to
him be OF the cnocc Of the electors in con-
test ingle-handed between him and another
candid .te? Obviously, as it seems to us, none
,rhdterer. We must he satisfied Of this, if
we observe what occurs in legislative or
congressional caucuses and in conventions
to nominate candidates for the presidency Of
the United States and other offices.
How very often does 1t happen that the
person who receives large plurality Of
votes upon the first balloting is ultimately or
very sOou, perhaps, dropped altogether? A
delegation appointed in the mode suggested
BY the committee would be almost sure, we
tbink, to misrepresent the district. 1t would
be almost as accurate matter at arriving at
the choice Of q ward to put the names of all
candidates into q box and draw out one by
chance as to take the name Of a candidate
among half dozen, perhaps, who might
happen to take plurality OF votes as indi.
casiye Of that choice. Those who had voted
for the other candidates would never be sat-
is tied with that mode of selection, and we
fear, and believe, that hundreds of persons,
under the impression that they might not be
fairly treated, would not vote at all.
We would much rather abandon altogether
the idea Of primary election and return to
the old method ofchoosing delegates by ward
meetings than accept the plan of the Conser-
vative committee.
Delegates so chosen would be much more
apt 10 represent the will Of the majority OF
the voters truly, and give satisfaction TO them,
than delegates would be who should be ap-
pointed for the sole purpose Of carrying into
effect the wishes of those who should vote
for The candidate having plurality, or,
rather, of that candidate himself, for in him
would ultimately rest the right to make the
nomination. FlRGlNIESSIs.