The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-01-13
THE PRIMARY TEST
WHAT PARTY QUALIFICATION
WILL IiE REQUIRED.
cussed by Local Poiiticiuns--Day
Primaries VIII lie Held.

At the meeting OF the city democratic
executive committee to be held tomorrow
night some interesting questions will like
ly be discussed as preliminary to the ap-
preaching city election.
The holding of day primaries seems to
be "a foregone conclusion. The committee
stands not only authorized to hold day
primaries by a resolution adopted by the
| last city convention, but the majority of
The members OF the committee have given
1t out as their intention to carry out the
/ authority vested in the committee by the
last convention. and day primaries may be
put down as method already settled upon
| for getting the democratic candidates fer
| municipal offices bsfore the people.
| Who shall be permitted to vote ct these
PRIMARIES is a question that is not so
definitely settled.
The resolution providing for day prima-
RIGS contemplates that registration shall
precede the primaries, and says: mo par
son shall be allowed to vote at these pri-
maries unless he produce a certificate nf
registration. which certificate shall be
stamped Voted at primary" and returned
TO the voter. who shall then be permitted
10 deposit his ballot, provided that none
except known democrats shall be permitted
10 participate in these primaries, TO deter
mine which. should any doubt exist. the
presiding officer shall have The power TO
administer an oath 10 the effect that the
person Offering TO vote did cast his ballot
In the last State election for the nominees
OF the denloe1a c convention
The pfoviso In the above quoted clause
is likely to be a subject of some conten-
ton.
A we'll known local politician in discus
sing this subject yesterday. maintained
that the pledge was not sufficiently spe-
cifir.
III does not say" sid he that the
party offering to vote at the primaries shall
have voted for the democratic nominee
for governor at the last State election. but
for the nominees of the democratic con
vontion.' Which Of the nominees, or how
many OF them, must a man have east his
ballot for in order to be qualified voter
at tho primaries?
.'Ths qualification is entirely too in
definite. A man may have voted for any
portion of the democratic nominees aud
under the test as provided claim the right
to vote at the democratic primaries, as
the resolution does not say that he shall
have voted for all of the nominees.
Then again the democratic presidential
electoral ticket Was voted for at the last |
State election and If the vote for dem-
ocratic president is included Us the test, |
several members of The committee viii |
themselves be disqualified from participat- |
ing in the primaries which they viii order.
TO adopt the presidential ticket would
be to disqualify all the goldbug dem
ocrats.
THE strictest party test would be to lei
only those vote al the primaries who had
at the last election voted for the demo- |
cratic nominee for president and the dem
ocratic nominee for governor, but such a
test. II strictly enforced. would very great |
" ourtail the vote. Nor would IL carry
out the instructions of the resolutions un- |
der which the committee Is supposed to
act any more than the resolution would
be complied with by simply selecting the
vote for governor. for under the literal
construction of the test as fixed In me
resolution man may not have voted tor
governor and vet having voted for the
other nominees OF the convention claim the
right to vote ut the primaries without do
ing his conscience the last violence.
1.-THE sririt Of the democratic party Is
not 10 draw earty lines 50 taut as 20 deci-
make them sufficiently liberal to permit |
errine members 10 return 20 the fold. and
10 The full enjoyment OF political fellow
ship.
.'My idea OF q test would be simply that
nnne but known democrats be permitted
Ia narticlpatc IN the primaries, coupled
with the nleigs that no one be permitted
IN voto unless he p.oGge himself 10 also
anide the result of the fciniaries, and each
candidate whose name goes before the pri- /
marios 10 Re voted upon should also be
made 20 abide RE result OF the primary
vote" ~