St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-12
SOME new CAUCUS RULES
TO Be Considered by the Democratic
County Committee.
THE PRIMARY ELECTION LAW,
With Its Provisions and Blunders---An
Invalid 0ath---Supposi;iti0us
Safeguards.

the chairman this evening at o'clock
at the Algonquin club rooms,t transact
considerable and important business.
The county convention will probably
be called, and the preceding primary
elections. under ihe new general cleo
ton law. The cou lty committee is con-
stituted as follows: Orville Reinhart,
August Seigman, r. B. Forrest, Henry
Oswald, II. o. Peterson, G. L..
Locke, D. D. Smith, Sivert Mahle,
II. NJ. Burke, James Mccall. Alex
Jacob Barge, ]. w. Tamm. P. Fl. Hart
man, f. D. Noerenberg, r. E. Bader,
Harry Ghostly, E. S. Barnes, James NJ.
CorcOran, DR.. Laliberte, r. A.
Heinrich, H. A. Westphal, j. ?.
Fitzgerald, Dan O'Brien, J. w.
Lawrence, J. K. Sidle, 7. j. Buxton,
James Lahiff, Hogan Asplund,
Al Schafer, S. Rollins, James Best and
p. II. Ryan. OF this committee j. X.
Side is dead and Jacob Becker, All
Schafer and 2. Fl. Ryan have left the
city.
One of the most important matters
to be considered is the change pre-
scribed and required by the new law,
which will conflict with the caucus
rules in force in the Democratic party.
Sections 80 to and including 106, OF the
Whiteman election law, relate to the
manner and procedure of holding pri-
mary elections or caucuSeS, and is an
exact copy of the primary election law
in force in the state of New York, and
is as follows.
THE NEW LAW.
"a
held by any political party, organization
or association in this State, any individ-
ual shall falsely personate and vote
under the name of any other person, or
shall Intentionally vote without the
right to do so. or shall willfully and
wrongfully obstruct and prevent
others from voting, who have the right
to do so at such primary, or
shall fraudulentIy or wrongfully con-
ceal or destroy ballots cast, or in any
manner Intentionally and wrongfully
deposit ballots in the ballot-bOX or take
them therefrom, or shall commit any
other fraud or wrong, tending to defeat
Or effect the result of the election, he
shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor.
The presiding officers and inspectors
at any such election shall, before enter
ing upon their duties. Severally sign and
swear to an oath in form now required
by the inspectors at general elections.
The vote or ballot of any person offered
at such election shall, upon chal-
lenge by any lawful voter thereat,
be rejected unless he be sworn as
to his qualifications as such voter,
and the presiding officer or any in
spector of such primary is hereby
empowered and it shall be his duty to
administer an oath to such person, and
to any other person Offering to vote, as
he may deem advisable, to the effect
that he will true answers make to such
questions as shall be put to him touch
ing his qualifications as voter, and his
right to vote. He may then be exam
ined as to such qualifications and
right to vote. If he shall swear
to the necessary qualifications of
voter, as prescribed by the regulations
of the association holding the primary
or convention, his vote shall be re-
ceived. If the person so sworn and eX-
amined shall Intentionally swear
falsely as to his qualifications as voter
he shall be deemed guilty of perjury,
and shall, on conviction, be punished as
now prescribed by law for the crime of
perjury.
If any person acting as inspector,
teller or canvasser at any such primary
election shall knowingly receive the
been challenged, or who is known to
him not to be entitled, by the regula-
tons of the association holding the
primary election to vote at such pri-
mary, unless the same shall be first
sworn in as aforesaid or shall in any
manner fraudulently and wrongfully
deposit or put any ballots into, or take
any from, the ballot box of said primary
election, or shall fraudulently or wrong
fully mix any ballots with those cast at
said primary election, or shall knowing
ly mix any false count, canvass, state
ment, certificate or return of the ballots
cast or vote taken at such primary, he
shall be deemed guilty of a INSIDE
meanor.
If any person elected delegate at
any such primary or convention shall
accept or receive any money or valuable
thing as consideration for mis- vote as
such delegate, he shall be deemed
guilty of miSdemeanOr.
The words primary election" as used
in this act shall be construed so as to
embrace all elections held by any pOliti-
cal party, convention, organization Or
association, or delegates therefrOm, for
office, or the election of delegates to
other conventions, or for the purpose of
electing officers of any political party,
organization, convention or association.
No person shall be entitled to vote at
any primary election unless he is
qualified electOr of this state.
The punishment of any Of the of
lenses in this act declared to be INSIDE
meanOrS shall be fine not exceeding
$4,000, or Imprisonment not exceeding
three years, or both such fine and i'm
prisonment; provided, however, that all
herein contained relating to primary
elections shall apply only to cities of
5000 or more inhabitants.
SOME INCONGRUITIES.
While this law was copied from the
New York law,it was originally made to
fit the law then in force, but the Mime
sofa solonS neglected to make the nee
essary changes. For instance, section
100 provides that presiding officers and
shall ''sign and swear to an
spectors at general elections" But
there are no inspectors, and
the provision is
void. Under section 1O3 the presiding
officer of any convention would have to
be sworn, were it not for the error,
which certainly cripples the intent of
the law Another blunder is the use of
the word ''mix'' for "make" in section
1O1. These crude blunders show the re-
suits of hasty legislation and tell of the
fight made against the bill
at every step.
The committee tonight will take
steps to see that the law is complied
with at the coming caucuSes, and will
receive legal advice as to the intent of
certain provisions not generally under
stood. This committee will also make
the changes necessary to meet the in
crease of wards and precincts since the
state election. At that time there were
eight wards and forty-one precincts and
now there are thirteen wards and fifty
six precincts. 1t is certain that under
the new law there will be in the neigh