Evening journal., 1897-12-04


do with it. Associated with this in
spector shall be two judges to be Sc
lected by the county committee.
The inspectors for the city of
Wilmington shall be selected by
the county committee from the
officers appointed by the Depart
ment Of Elections to hold the next
ensuing general election. The law pro-
vides that the chairman Of each county
committee shall appoint a qualitier Of
primary election officers for each Levy
Court district in the county. and the
duty OF such qualifier shall be to quail
fy the primary election officers in that
district for whichever party he repre-
sents. He shall deliver TO the chair
man OF the committee or governing
authority appointing him, the oaths
and affirmations subscribed by the cleo
tion officers These qualifers are duly
sworn before being permitted to enter
upon the discharge Of their responsible
duties. Each qualiier shall receive
from theLevy Court for his services the
modest compensation Of $40.
The time for holding the primary
elections for the general election shall
be after the last registration day in the
month of August, and for the muni-
cipal election after the fourth Satur-
day previous to the day set Tor holding
the election for municipal officers. Any
al
tion OF one party is excluded from vot-
ing at any other primary election that
year for the same officers, and the law
makes ample provision for The punish
ment OF that class of voters who make
| 1t a practice to vote at two or three
primaries for the sake of what they
can get out of it as compensation for
helping scheming politicians to accom-
plish their ends by crooked methods.
Ample provision is also made to pro-
tect the voter from the briber and the
people from the voter who is willing to
be bribed. The constitutional provi-
sion taking all such offenses out Of the
hands OF bhe grand and petit jury and
vesting them in the judges applies to
these primary elections with the same
force that 1t does to general and special
elections.
1t is provided that the ballot-boxes
shall have glass sides, and that the
| glass shall be so turned that the voters
and the public shall at all times be able
to see the interior of the boxes And
Che election officers shall announce TO
any person who Is voting and who so
inquiries, the number Of votes cast up
TO that time The glass sides prevent
the stuffing of the boxes before the
polls are open, and the mandatory pro-
vision that the officers shall give the
aggregate number of votes cast at any
time during the day affords a certain
method of preventing stuffing during
the progress of the voting.
In future The tickets used ali the pri-
mary elections will be printed by the
county committees and at the party ex-
pens6. The names OF all the candidates
for a political office shall be placed one
below the other under a common head.
The surnames shall be arranged in al
phabetical order, and shall not be sepa-
rated from one another by any other
matter The voter Shall designate his
choice by scratching all other names on
the ticket. The ballots shall be ready
for use at least FIVE days before the
| day sset,for holding the elections.
This means. insthe future, cl9ah, hon
\ est} primars tlectlcns Ut docs away
with one-man- power. 1t deters rich
and ambitious men buying up the elec-
ton dfucers and setting at naught the
party viii
Honest-minded Democrats and hon
est-minded Republicans are responsible
;or Che enactment Of this law and they
propose TO see Il enforced against al
offenders. They realize that to wink al
violations will soon bring the law into
utter disrepute and disrospect, ant
compel a return to Old conditions
which have proved so disastrous to tn,
] | party organizations. AS the work o
g | prosecution devolves upon the attor
ney-general, who proceeds on informa
4 tion, the puAlic will hold him to strlc
: Accountability no matter who ne ma!
I be. The bench Of our state may be re
e He'd upon to innict proper penalue
upon all violators whom they adjudg
9 guilty. The Judges realize the graviu
Of the situation. The open and whole
sale purchase Of votes has not by an
means been confined to tho genera
,t elections. In fact, the great success @
s The eAddicksites has been largely due {
n heir ability to use their money at tn
Al party primaries until disruption FOL
n owed so close upon the heels Of COZ
rupton, that all hope Of Republican eus
;ess is several years in advance OF tn
present time. But, being a rule {
:, ruin man. Addicks was enabled to a.
sompl!sh his purpose by working h
4 way into the very vita.s Of the Republ
an organization
l. Now the bars have been raised and