The representative., 1898-05-18
THAT CONVENTION CALL.

THAT CONVENTION CALL.
We have received the following letter
from the county attorney of Polk county,
Mimi, the county in which Mr.. Martin
O'Brien resides, who made the call for
the Seventh district congressional con-
vention, to which we alluded in recent
issue Of this paper. We take pleasure
in giving space to Mr. Gossman's letter:
Crookston, Mimi, April 80, 189S
Editor Representative,
Dear Sir-In the last issue of your
paper, exception is taken to the form of
the call for the Peoples Party state con-
vention wherein it defines who may take
part in the primaries After consider
ing the whole chapter which you quote
from, l am of opinion the state central
committee has properly interpreted the
law passed in 1895. (Chapter 276, gen.
eral laws of 1850
Section thereof states generally who
first of all should attend primary cleo
tions; they should be the first present
and organize the caucus by selecting the
judges and other officers; but further on
in the chapter under Section 5, it is there
laid down that ir addition to those en-
umerated in Section 8. THAT in case any
voter makes oath that he has changed
his political af1liation to the political
party holding said primary elec-
ton, after the last preceding general
election, his vote shall be received, pro-
vided the judges find such statements to
be true" Also further on in the same
section under the head of challenges
still others are provided for wherein
it says that in case any voter makes
oath that he did not vote at the last cleo
tion because he was not of age, or was
not a resident Of the state. .. or any
other reason satisfactory to the judges,
his vote shall nevertheless be received, il
he makes oath that he af11liates with the
political party holding said primary cleo
tions"
All Of these provisions, however, are
limited in this that no matter If man
does change his allegiance he cannot in
the same calendar year attend primaries
of two different parties; he must stay
by the party whose primaries he began
to attend early in the season or refrain
altogether from attending There no
doubt may be abuse of this law and in
the manner as you suggest, but what law
cannot be abused?
The safeguard is in the selection Of
judges of the election; the leading party
men should be out on time and in suf1
cient numbers to insure the selection Of
judges who know the personnel of the
party in the precinct.
Yours truly,
L. E. GOSSMAN.
We are not surprised that Mr.. Goss
man comes to the help Of Mr.. OBrien;
but it seems to us that he strains the
case in his defense.
Section 3 of Chapter 226, to which he
refers, says distinctly:
None but regularly qualified voters
shall be allowed to take part in any pri-
mary election, and it shall be unlawful
for any person not affiliated at the last
general election with the political party
holding it's primary election or for any
person who has not resided for at least
80 days in the election district where the
primary election is held, to vote or take
part in such primary election"
This shows clearly that the main pur-
pose of the passage OF this act was to
prevent those who did not belong to the
party from taking part In It's primaries;
but when the act was under considera-
tion, in the Legislature, it was probably
suggested that there might be an excep-
tional case where man had joined and
acted with the party since the last gen.
eral election, upon a change Of political
affiliations and therefore the amend
ment was added to which the county at
torney refers. But this is very differ
ent case from that Of throwing open the
pIIUdIIcS-dS Iu0 OeVcAlA u1olAACt CSlA
does-to all who will say that they in
tend hereafter to vote the Peoples Party
ticket.
The case referred to in the statute Is
one where the voter claims that he had
already changed his af1liation and that
being a matter susceptible of proof, he
is permitted to swear to it and satisfy
the judges that his statement is true.
But there is no way to satisfy the judges
that a man intends to do in the future,
what he says he intends to do, for that