Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-09-21
SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER 81, 1895


Had Feature of the Primary Plan.
That Is a bad feature of our primary
election plan which. in effect, though, we
feel sure, not so intended, gives to the
advocates Of the charter changes the
votes of all those voters who. through
ignorance or inadvertence. omit to mark
this portion OF the official ballot.
The right way TO do is to require each
voter to mark opposite each office in
question Eyes or mo-" Yes Tor yea
would mean that the voter desires that
the charter should be changed as to this
Office No would mean that the voter
does not desire the charter changed as to
this Office. What could be fairer than
that?
The present provision OF the plan takes
II for granted. as II were, that whose
ever fails 10 mark out the titles of any
OF the officers in question is In favor OF
amending the charter as TO each and all
OF them. Unquestionably. considerable
number Of persons are in favor of every
one Of the changes proposed. There are
other men. however, who are totally in
different as to the whole subject, and
who. after marking their tickets for men,
bers of the House, will hand them to
the judges Of election. who win then be
compelled TO record them as in favor Of
every single one Of the changes.
Thus. as we have before said. the intel
ligent, careful consideration given the
subject by a thousand thoughtful men
who may vote mo" will be offset by
the ballots Of thousand men who have
not even taken the trouble to read the
list OF offices which 1t is proposed TO
change from offices filled by the City
Council to Offices filled by the direct vote
OF the people.
According TO the committees plan. the
voter will be handed a ticket, which will
contain the names of all the candidates
for the House. and from this list the voter
will select the five candidates whom he
prefers; the other names Of candidates
ne win erase. At the foot OF the ticket
there will be printed the following list
of officers:
Board of Fire Commissioners.
Board OF Police Commissioners,
Chief OF Fire Department,
Chief Of Police,
City Attorney.
City Engineer.
Police Justice,
Superintendent OF Almshous~.
Superintendent Of the Gas-Works,
Superintendent of the Water-Works.
On the ticket, above this list Of names,
will be printed these words;
Scratch the names of the officers whom
you desire to be elected as at present.
leaving those whom you desire to be elect
ed by the direct vote OF the people.
The word Officers in the plan is. we
take II, enormously printed for Offices"
The primary Is to be a viva-voce cleo
tion--that Is to say, the judges Of cleo
ton will take the voters ticket and "call
aloud the names of the candidates he
votes for; but no such provision in
terms is made as to reading out the
voters votes on the charter amendments.
There should be no doubt on this point.
The election should be viva voce through
out. We merely mention this matter in
passing, but we hope that the City Com
mittee will give perfectly explicit in
structions to the judges on this subject.
50 that the judges will not only announce
for what candidates a voter votes. but
for what amendments the voter votes.
There Is nowadays so much outcry
about honest elections" etc, II is well
that our committee has adopted sys-
TEN which will admit OF no question as
10 how this or that man voted. or AZ TO
how his vote was counted. With a bet
ter arrangement az to the unscratched
2 amendment tickets. 1t is difficult to see
how the committees plan could be i'm
safe from unfairness or fraud as any hu-
man device could be.
The primary election is not to be held
until the sth Of October. and there Is.
therefore. plenty Of time for the City
Committee to revise its PLAN revise II
30 as to leave the results Of the election
interchangeable. as far as human fore
sight can make them. No advantage
should be given either the advocates or
opponents Of the charter Changes. They
should be put upon the same level ex-
actiy, but this the plan. as It stands.
clearly does not do.
We are far from wishing to be under
stood as charging partisanry or careless
ness either upon the City Committee.
oh. not ut all. The faults that we COM
plain OF have arisen chiefly because the
subject dealt with 10 new one. There
were no precedents to guide the commit
tee. This II the first time. 70 far as we
know. that our people. or. for the matter
Of that any people. have been called upon
10 80 TO the polls and indicate by their
yctes how they wish the charter
amended by the Legislature. But. now
that attention has been called to the I'm
Projections Of the plan, the committee
would incur great responsibility II It
failed to make the plan clear and I'M
partial Ia every particular.
The American echooi-Book Company