The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-02
SERIOUS NUTS TO CRACK
The New Primary Law Is Wor-
rying City Officials
SOME INCONGRUOUS PARTS
The Act Appears to Have Been Amended
TO Death
Bills for the City Primary Election May
Have to Be Footed by the County
Board OF Supervisors

The city attorneys office is Just now
busily engaged discussing the various
sections of the very peculiar primary
election law enacted by the last legisla-
ture. Secretary of State l.. II. Brown mas
sent down copy OF the act which be Off
cially designates as the primary election
law Ior the city and county of San Fran
cisco and the county Of Los Angeles.
The law was approved by the governor
on March 9th, and its legal title is An
act providing for general primary cleo
ton III counties OF certain classes within
the state of California and tc promote the
purity thereof bv regulating the conduct
thereof. AMI TO support the privileges of
free suffrage thereat by prohibiting GER
tain acts and practices thereto anu pro-
vidins for the punish ment thereof
The law, while intended to affect only
San Francisco and Los Angeles, provides
IN its very first section that it, provis-
ions shall be applicable throughout the
state. Primary elections are stipulated
to be held every two years ON tae second
Tuesday in July. when shall be a legal
holiday. During January of each year in
which general election is to be held,
the various election boards are to be
selected, to be publicly named twenty
days before the primary. Each of the
various political parties are to have sepa-
rate election tickets, and the polls are
down. Illegal primary voting is, under
the new law, made felony, punis hable
by mprisonment for period of from
ne to i've years.
The delegates to Icounty or city and
county convention must nominate all
the candidates which it desires to name
for q city or city and county office, and
any party may at its option nominate
candidates for state senator or Assem- bly,
man. or supervisors or justices of the
peace or constable. who are to be voted
for subsequently. or they cal elect to Sc
lect separate delegates to local conven-
lions.
The law compels the board of supervis-
ors to foot the bills for the primary elsc-
tiun of all parties, but the several polit-
cal parties must furnish their own ballots.
In the years when presidential electors
are to be voted for, state convention to
elect delegates to the national conven-
erning the new uc.. The final section of
the law, after it has legislated for all of
the counties of the state, declares that
the new act shall apply TO, take effec.
and be in force only in counties Of the
first and second class. which means. of
course, San Francisco and Los Angeles
counties.
There is an open question about :he
city hall as to whether or not the new
law applies to the city election to he held
in Los Angeles next year. 1t is taken
to mean that the provisions of the act
stipulate that the delegates elected at one
primary must act during all of the vari-
Gus conventions of every description to
be held within one yeal. 1t is believed
that the law was purposely doctored and
amended beyond the pale of reason and
OF common sense, so that its several pro-
visions could be the more easily killed
when it came to their enforcement. Some
Of the northern superior courts have al
ready declared the law to be- Imperative
and the state board Of examiners has de-
clined to appropriate any money for its
enforcement.
Should the law hold good in all of its
provisions. the county will undoubtedly
have to foot the bills for holding the pri.
maries for the forthcoming city conven-
tiOnS.