Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-02-25
SUNDAY. FEBRUARY %. 1894.
A. Our Experience With Primaries.

n our Experience With primaries.
EThe bill TO legalize primaries in the city
,pf Richmond having passed both houses
fpf tho General Assembly and re-
sceiycd the approval OF the Gov
|ernor will be operative at the
Democrats primary 20 be held here
shis spring. Then. whoever is guilty OF
fraud win be ornGnable to just such pun
sshment as ne would De amenable 10 were
he 10 violate the law OF an election held
under the general statutes of the State.
However we expect no trouble. We be-
,ieve that no city of the size of Richmond
has had fairer primaries than we have
had and this Notwithstanding the fact that
hitherto there has been no law to punish
frauds at primary elections here.
We do not say that there was never any
cheating done at our primaries-because
we know of at least one instance where
there was-but we declare that no city
which we know of has had less OF 1t than
Richmond. What is more. we have we'll
attended primaries. Usually our voters turn
out in great numbers. And. what is also
10 our credit. our people are cheerfully sub
Inissive TO the decision Of the majority
Richmond Is an inhospitable home for the
skickers."
At the approaching municipal primary we
expect TO see 5000 or 5000 votes polled, and
we expect the defeated candidates and
their friends to give ready and hearty sup
port to the party's nominees az ascertained
from the returns of the primary and de-
pIared by the City Democratic Committee
The Dispatch however. is very anxious
FOR the party here to profit by its expert
ence and for the City Committee 10 revise
fits primary-election plan so that II will
embrace the teachings OF the last five
years Don't let us have anything In the
plan which the past admonishes us is dan
gerous Within week after the last
municipal primary we made some notes OF
errors which the committee can and should
avoid hercafter-errors which, II persisted
IN. may sometime give us trouble
Foremost of these is the provision re-
ouiring the throwing-out OF every ticket
(balloD which does not contain the exact
number of names of candidates cores
bouding TO the number OF Offices Tor
which nominations are 70 be made.
voters entire ticket should not be invai-
dated simply because he votes for four
instead OF for three magistrates. In such a
rase a. vote as TO magistrates should not
y. counted but the vote as TO other offices
should be- And TO make sure that the
voter understands his obligation 10 MS
marty. by reason of participation IN the
urinary. we should print at the foot OF
each ticket: "whoever votes this ticket or
any mart of IT, viii be held TO have obl-
rated himself TO support all the Demo-
cratic Nominees at the regular election TO
he held ON the fourth Thursday In May
Kyboso Is not willing TO vote at the pri-
mary upon this condition Is not worthy 10
Sote there at all. With this proviso an
couneed and well understood we need not
subject any man TO needless risk OF losing
h,s entire vote because of an error as 10
any one office.
Next In importance is the need OF giving
,deouate help in counting the vote at the
a.rse white precincts. by the old arrange
p,ept the returns from some precincts come
an before midnight; while some other re-
xurns may not come in till the afternoon
xf the next day This gives rise to sus-
uAcfons: beSides, II imposes upon the Judges
and clerks of election at the large white
,recincts an amount of work which Is
.,mnly appalling and which We wonder that
.hev have ever been able to do accurately.
Help ought to be given these overworKed
uG,cers, 70 the end that all the returns
may come In to the committee as nearly
.,mu,taneously as possible. and to the FUR
sher end that we shall impose upon no set
pf osf,cers an immoderate amount OF WORK.
we have hitherto suggested that the
ticket would be better divided-that the
,municipal ticket" be printed as formerly
nm white paper, and the ward ticket
aeparately and on red paper and that al
the close of the polls at the big white pre-
r,ncts special judges Tor counters) should
be provided to count the red tickets WINE
the regular judges are counting the white
tickets. Possibly, some better plan than
shis can be devised We hope so-but this
HAN IA ten times as good the old plan
= Another suggestion that we make IL that
nnr city Committee revise that section Of
their plan which prescripes "o" e'"'SS's
may be made" on this point the commit
ice must have learned a vast deal by ex-
perlence
There win be but little opportunity here
inter to wrangie as to when primaries
thall be held. Tho law prescribes that
they must be held not later than twenty
DAYS and not earlier than thirty days be-
- tha
Whether the voting is TO be by ballot or
viva yoce Is Tor the City Committee TO de-
eide.