Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1884-03-15


recorded in the primary election i
l. 1882 no adverse argument could grow
J. as nearly all the nominees had lare
majorities, and where they had plural
ties they were obtained outside of an
Independent Of the vote in Lexington
the largest town in the county-not
single man being nominated who wa
T not nominated without counting tn
Lexington township vote at all.
+ But such unanimity cannot Away
be expected, and there is the chance il
3 a simple primary cleo ton, where Their
are so many candidates as are offering
this year, that there may be severa
minority nominations, which wonlt
probably create some dissatisfaction.
So far the Intelligencer has Away
: objected to the simple primary election
plan, while preferring it to the ole
style convention, where delegates wert
elected from the various townships
without similarity of action, some
coming hampered by instructions, while
others came free to trade or traffic,
holding the instructed delegates and
the men they desired to nominate at q
great disadvantage. These things
may be unavoidable in state or nation
al conventions, but they are not so in
county organizations.
There is a plan by which a combina-
ton of the two systems, in counties,
practically does away with the obiec-
tons to both. This we have ALWAYS
favored, and only advocated the one
that has been used because its simplicity
recommended it to the people. The
plan we allude to has in its main fea-
lures been used in Jackson county, but
not, we believe, exactly as we would
recommend it.
Its manifestly unjust to have one
system in one township and different
ones in others. Therefore the central
committee should secure uniformity of
action. The voter does not like to del.
esate his privilege of voting for his
own personal choice for each and every
Office, farther than is necessary. 1t is
a satisfaction to him to cast his ballot
with his own hand for those he prefers.
No n who is a J%effersonian demo-
crat would desire to deprive him of
this privilege, no matter how humble
he might be; and it is very certain that
no large representation of any political
party can ever be obtained unless the
citizen is given the right to express his
preference for every Office. Ne pri-
mary meetings in this county have
ever drawn out as many voters as
have the last two primary elections.
The candidate who fears to trust his
fate to the voters Of his party does not
deserve much consideration in a coun-
try where the fundamental idea in gov
eminent is that the people must rule.
To reconcile all these views we sug.
gest to tho democrats Of the county
that they adopt a combination of the
primary election and convention sys-
TENS. 1t may seem complicated at
first sight, but it is perfectly simple and
seems to us not only fair, but to secure
the desideratum of nominating the
strongest man all over the county for
every Office.
In order to carry out the proposed
plan the executive committee would
have to prepare before the primaries
omnibus ticket, with blank lines at
the top for the names of the necessary
number of delegates to a county con-
Y ention from each precinct. Follow
ing this should be printed the names of
every candidate seeking Office at the
hands of the party. At the primary
the voters could scratch off all the
names except those they desired to
vote for, for nomination, and also vote
for delegates. These delegates would
meet in convention and cast
the votes of their respective townships
in the following manner: Say, for
example, that Washington township
had voted to nominate for sheriff, 800
for Brown, 200 for Jones and 100
for Smith. Then the delegates from
that township would vote 800 for
Brown, 200 for Jones and 100 for
Smith, casting in the convention the
exact vote cast at the ballot box in
their township. After the I'd ballot,
nomination being reached, the hind
most man in the whole vote should be
dropped, and in each township his
vote should be on the succeeding bal
lot added to the vote of the man having
the highest vote who would still remain
before the convention; and 80 on until
a nomination was reached.
Let us analyze this a little and meet
any objections that may be urged so far
as we can. First, it may be said,
'sWhy send delegates to do what could
as easily be figured out by the execu-
tive committee?" For several reasons.
~ Because where there are a num-
Der OF candidates for an Office the re-
.uction would be a little complicated
and disputes might arise. Settled by
convention of the party the settle
.ent of any disputed point would be
very much ore satisfactory to the can
didate, and would be final, the con.en-
lion being tho highest authority within
) party, as it is in the state as to the -,
whole people. (2.) Few men would
willing to serve on the executive
if they had to take the res
possibilities here intended for a con- :
'entien. (3.) There are often ques- ,
ions of party policy to determine =.
which can emily be done by a conyen : :
ion. 8
"Why drop the hindmost man lust
sfter the I'd ballot?" There is no good 7
reason why he should not be dropped
the first, except to give all the f
delegates a fair chance to see how i
ZACH mar stands in the race, as inform t