The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-08-26
THE PREFERENCE TICKET.
Communicated.

The preference ticket at the dele
gate election was net an instruction
under the party Rules, for several
good and sufficient reasons
1. Because instructions under the
Rules are plainly and expressly con-
hned to the selection or nomination
of candidates.
2. Because on its face it did not
profess to be such, nor carry any init
nation even of an order, command or
direction to the delegates.
3. Because it was of uncertain and
doubtful application to any existing
or proposed rule Gas will be presently
shown) and therefore unified for en-
forcement in any definite form.
4. Lastly. Because it was not only
irregular and unauthorized, but as a
vote to control the convention or any
Of its members, would be in plain
denial of undoubted convention power
to change or amend the rules accord
ing to its discretion by two thirds
vote.
BY rule the ticket at primary or
delegate elections is to contain the
names of candidates in slip ticket
form, and by common understanding
and usage, nothing else. If other
matters are to be intruded upon 1t,
the intrusion should be ordered by
some competent authority and in
some proper form.
But beyond question, an addition
to the regular ticket, wholly unauthor-
lied by any convention or even
Standing Committee, which should
have for its object the overthrow or
curtailment of convention power,
clearly established by Rule, would be
unlawful under party law, and would
be null and void.
These views do not question the
right or privilege OF members of the
party to vote unofficially and separate
ly at delegate election, for any pro.
per object they may desire, and sub,
NIT their vote to the convention as a
petition or request if it shall relate to
change OF Rule; nor do they ques-
tion the right or proprlety OF making
change Of Rules an issue in the
selection of delegates as was done at
the late election in Bloomsbury, when
delegates opposed to the Crawford
County plan of nomination were
chosen in every one of the four dis
tricts of the town. And of course
the committee who prepared the new
Rules had right as members Of the
party, to publish their propositions Of
change and transmit them to the con-
vention for consideration.
OF course the new rules should
have been published thirty days in
stead of eight before the delegate
election, in order to be fairly consid-
cred, and debated and understood, by
the people and the convention before
action upon them, and the preference
ticket thrust into the delegate election
should have been fair, ineligible and
we'll understood by all persons invited
to vote thereon. But it was not fair,
nor ineligible and we'll understood
by all. For it did rot state a choice
between majority and plurality nomi-
nations, in fact the material word
plurality is entirely absent the
words "for nomination by delegates
was widely understood to be an ap-
proval of the misrepresentation of
small districts in convention, and the
expression AigAest0ote was confound-
ed by many with majority vote which
is the highest whenever the rule for it
is applied.
The voters were not lawyers and
tine ticket if not cunningly devised to
mislead them was we'll calculated to
that end, especially in view of the
short notice of new Rule changes and
lack of opportunity for explanation
and debate.