Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1886-08-26

"a Democrat OF Ia Old Sch0OI 81
OfYers u Number of Reasonable
Objections to she Test Adopted
by the Democratic County Cen.
trail Committee for Saturday.
Primaries.
EUREKA, New, Aug. %. 1886.
EDITOR SENTINEL: Feeling a lively in.
terest in the success Of Democratic princi.
pies in this country. and Of ell worthy
Democrats who aspire to Office, / notice
with some concern the resolution Of our
Democratic Central Committee in regard
to the test to be required Of voters at the
coming primary election of the party.
/ do not profess to be skilled in the art
or science of local politics, or Of election
laws, or any other laws; but this resolu-
ton OF he committee certainly appears
to me, from q lay aspect OF the case, to be
extremely binding upon the free Demo-
cratic voters of this county and altogether
unprecedented in the history OF party pri-
mary elections.
True, under an Act OF the Legislature Of
this State, approved March 5, 1863. party
central committees are authorized TO
prescribe the qualifications required for
voters (at primaries) in addition to those
prescribed by the election laws OF this
State. But il. this very loose and ques-
tionable authorization by the Legislature
to be so construed as to empower q county
committee, created and appointed by the
free voters OF q county, for certain specific
party urposes to throttle every voter
- tha porfu and praacriba Aha lat nf
candidates for whom he shall vote, even
before il Is known who these candidates
are to be2 Must every Democratic citizen
be compelled by q committee. which he
has, directly or indirectly, aided in ap-
pointing, TO pledge himself to support,
sans discretion, all and every nominee of
o convention yet to be nominated-pos-
sibly paoked-or else forego his right to
take a proper part in the selection OF his
own candidate? Has Q voter any guar
antee that q convention yet to be organ-
lied will properly represent the wishes of
o majority of its party in the nomination
Of candidates? Or, II its action be other
wise unimpeachable, can the voter be
assured that the convention may not be
imposed upon by candidates who are
incompetent, or altogether untrustworthy,
or whose election might, in his opinion,
be detrimental TO the interests OF his
party? Are the free electors OF q county
TO be completely corralled by their Gen.
trail Committee. and deprived OF that de-
liberate discretion in casting their votes
which Is the only legal means in their
hands to check political abuses within
their party, and approve those who prsc-
tice or encourage them?
It seems to me, Mr.. Editor, that this
resolution OF the Democratic Central
Committee smacks much more Of q dieta.
torial than of a Democratic spirit. While
I believe that a general pledge to the in
terests OF the party should be riRidly
exacted, / do not believe that the vote at
o primary election should be required to
give up, in advance. a free discretion as to
the qualifications Of candidates in the
general election. l do not believe that
our Legislature could have meant to con-
fer by this clause on county committees
any such power OF enforcement over the
sovereign electors of the county. or inter-
ference with their right of partisan suf-
frage; for such construction would bring
the statute in direct conflict with the
spirit of all American constitutional law,
either State OF Federal, which jealousy
guards in all its promulgations the sacred
right Of popular suffrage, either within
party limits, or at large, in general cleo
lions.
a DEMOCRAT OF THE OLE SCHOOL.