Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1886-09-02
The Plan for Democratic Primaries.

EDITOR OF FREE Press:
Dear Sir: The Plan proposed by the Dem.
Elk Com. for conducting the Primaries is very
complex and unintelligible in regard TO the
State Senatorial candidates. have read and
re-read it carefully. and can make no sense out
of it at all The first proposition, which reads
as follows, is very clear, and had the matter
rested there no difficulty would be experienced:
LIST. That the Democratic Primary Election
for Jefferson county for the purpose of nomina-
ting two members of the House of Delegates,
State Senator, and two Commissioners, shall be
by direct vote of the people for the candidates
of their choice
Propositions 2nd, 3rd 4th, 5th, 9th and 9TH,
delineating the plan for conducting the cleo
ton who shall be voters; what candidates are
required to do, &c, &c, is very explicit The
Sth proposition reads;
sth The names of all candidates will be
placed on one ticket, under the respective head
| ings of the positions for which they are candl-
dates and the voter Will erase the names OIL al
except the person or persons he desires to vote
for. except as to candidates and delegates for
the Senatorial Convention.
"The voter will erase The names of all ex-
cept the person or persons he desires to vote
for. except as 10 candidates and delegates for the
| Senatorial Contention" What does that mean
| Ifit doesn't mean that the voter is TO vote for
| all the candidates and delegates for the Senate
| il doesn't mean anything and the hnglSh IAN
guage is a delusion and a snare, and yet the
| same paragraph closes with n sentence which
contradicts the whole matter If more than
one name for each Office should be allowed to
remain by the voter, the ballot for that Office
will not be counted The voter is told TO vote
| for all the candidates, for the Senate, III one
sentence, and in the next IS told II he votes ior
more than one his vote will not be counted
| | conclude my extracts from the adopted
| plan by quoting part OF the 9th article
1.-THE delegates to be voted for for the Sena-
| torial Convention be named by the respective
candidates for the Senate, at each Precinct, ana
they are 10 be voted for as a whole at all the
precincts of the county"
This does not look as though twas adirect
vote of the people for the candidate OF their
| choice" If YOU vote directly for the individu-
| al candidates for the House of Delegates COun-
| tv Commissioners. &c. why make an excep
| ton of the Senator? The lst article places all
| the candidates in the same category, otherwise
| the Senator would be omitted and provided for
| in some other way The above article requires
the Senator to name his delegates " at each pre-
cinct and they are to be voted for as Uhole
at all the precincts Of the county This Is absurd.
i suppose there were six candidates, land the
| Committee didn't know how many candidates
| there would be and don't know yeti, for the
Senate. and each having his delegates as pro-
posed, taking the Congressional convention as
| a basis, there would have to be from 40 to 10
names on the ticket for State Senate alone. 1t
would take the voter as long to read over his
ticket and determine for whom he wanted to
vote as it would to read the Blaine speech on
the tariff | can see nothing in the world to
be gained by all this complication. To vote
| for the candidate direct is unqueStionably the
simplest plan and isn't the simplest always
the fairest and the best? Look at the unne-
ceSsary labor you give the judges and clerks
! 1t would take three hours to one to count the
vote If the plan ofvoting directly for the can
didate was adhered to the Executive Commit
! tee. when it meets TO count the vote, could APP
point the requisite number'of delegates to cast
| the vote of the County in the Senatorial con-
vention for the candidate receiving the highest
number of votes in the County. Certainly no
| fair-minded man could object TO the Commit
tee assuming this authority. / have not writ
ten this in the spirit of any unkind criticism
but simply to call the attention of the commit
tee to the awkwardness of the plan. The plan
was doubtless submitted to the Elk. Com. by
committee appointed for that purpose, was
| brought in, read hurriedly, taken for granted
as ali right, and adopted. In the interest of
simplicity and harmony | would like to see the
! plan made more lucid.
Yours truly,