The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-12-29
LEGALIZE THE PRIMARIES

One of the most sensible discussions
Of the proposed Primary Election
Law is an editorial from the Balti-
more Sun which we republish below.
Among the measures which in all
probability will come before the Leg
islature at this winters session it is
expected there will be one for the
regulation of primary elections. No
more difficult question, perhaps could
be presented. For many years at
tempts have been made to correct &C.
knowledged abuses, but up to this
time without any great measure of
success. Under the present law for
the city of Baltimore primary
elections nave, it is true, been con-
Quoted with peace and decorum, and
as rule the votes are believed to be
: counted as cast. And yet the law has
serious defects. The two chief diff
culties to be met in framing a primary
election law for a big city are the
qualifications of voters and the rails
ing of money to pay the cost of the
election. The right to vote at a party
primary must, of course, be limited to
bona fide members of the party. If
Democrats are to be permitted to aid
in making Republican nominations, or
If Republicans are to be permitted to
vote at Democratic primaries, the OBJ
ject of the class of men who would in
trude in this way would be more like
~ to make the worst and weakest
nominations in order to defeat them
at the general election. Various
plans have been suggested to meet
this difficulty. One plan has been to
exact pledge to support the ticket
after it is nominated before a vote is
received. This is manifestly perni-
cious, because such plan would de-
stroy independent voting and would
drive from the primaries every man
who is unwilling to vote blindfolded
for ticket good or bad. Another
plan has been to permit all who voted
the party ticket at the preceding
Presidential election, and no others,
to vote at the primary. But recent
events have made this test impossi-
BILE.
Two new plans have been suggested:
One of them is to permit voters when
they go to register to declare their
politics and then permit them at the
party primaries to vote in accordance
with that declaration. The other is
to conduct both primaries at the same
course, separate ballot boxes and
separate election officers. Each OF
preventing a man from voting at both
primaries, a practice which has caused
the greatest trouble in the past.
In conducting primaries in the city
under the present law certain expenses
seem to be inevitable. The Demo
cratic party has raised the money by
an assessment upon each person who
announces himself as q candidate for
the nomination at the primaries. The
trouble with the arrangement is that
it limits, ordinarily, the choice of
nominees to those who are seeking
the office and are willing to pay for it.
1t would exclude from the public SER
vice all who are too poor to put up the
amount required, which is often a
considerable sum; all those who are
unwilling to pay the money for mere
chance, and all that class of people
known as those whom the office
seeks" or should seek. 1t seems that
in the city primaries cannot be con-
Quoted without money, and it must be
raised somehow. 1t has been suggest
ed that the cost be reduced to the
smallest possible amount and paid out
OF the public treasury, so as to make
the race for the nomination open to
all who choose to enter.
1t is held by some that the condi-
tions Of primary elections in the
counties are somewhat different from
those in large city. A law, there
fore, which would fit one might not
apply to the other. In the country
the politics of each person is apt to be
we'll known, and 30 the definition of a
qualified voter is not 30 important.
The county primary, Furthermore, is
usually conducted without any con-
siderable expense"
We do not however agree with our
esteemed contemporary as to exacting
pledge to support the ticket nomi-
mated, saving of course, heeeXeeption,
~