Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-03-18

THoS. ASA.
the District Councils and those for the
Boards of Guardians in urban districts;
that the last day for the nominations for
all those elections was Monday, March 6;
and that, wherever contest is to take
place, the polling will be on April 6.
1t is much to be feared that, in at least
some rural districts, those dates are not
generally known, for, while some return
ing officers have the step of advertising
them in the newspapers, others have con-
tented themselves with simply placarding
them on dead walls here and there. A
good deal of misapprehension seems to
exist as to who are qualified to be mem
bers of the various bodies and also as to
who are qualified to propose aud second
candidates. For the County Councils
only men WHO are registered electors are
eligible as members; but for both Rural
District Councils and Boards of Guar
dians either any registered elector is eli
gible or any person who will have resided
in his district for twelve months before
March q. In all cases the proposers and
seconders must be electors Certain
persons, no Rever, are disqualified for
membership of all the local bodies, and
of those persons, it is most needful, per-
haps. to specify one class in particular
We refer to those who have any contract,
or who have any interest in any contract
direct or indirect, with the bodies of
which they wish to become members
If any such persons are elected, they are
Liable to be unseated and their places,
if they are unseated, will be given to their
opponents without fresh election. It
may be added that any local government
elector in county. no matter where he
is registered. is eligible for any county
division As TO the manner III which
the elections are to be conducted, it may
be said that broadly it is the same as that
which prevails in regard to Parliamentary
elections. But there are some differences.
Candidates are TO he nominated in writ
ing. but only one candidate in each
paper, only proposer and a seconder are
required in each case, and no person can
nominate more persons than there are
vacancies to be filled. No share of the
official expenses will in these local cleo
tons fall upon any candidate, and all
electors are entitled to get free from the
returning officers as many nomination
papers as they require. The places where
the nominations are to be handed in are
those of which public notice has been
given by the returning officers, and it
should be borne in mind that in the rural
districts nominations for both the County
Councils and the Rural District Councils
will be handed in together, and in urban
districts those for the County Councils
and the Boards of Guardians. As to the
polling, it will be, as at Parliamentary
elections, under the ballot, aud the polls
will be taken at the same time-in the
rural districts for County and District
Councils and in the urban districts for
County Councillors and Guardians. Each
voter, as he enters his booth, will be
handed two papers Of different colors-
one for County Councillor and one
for a Guardian, as the case may be: aud
every voter should remember that he
will spoil his vote if he votes for more
County Councillors than one, or for more
District Councillors than two, or for more
Guardians than are allotted TO the par
ficu1or xuavd or ot1,ar ,,o1it,,., dfot~;c4 A.
to the number of Guardians to be elected
in any place, he ought to find out the
fact before he enters the booth, but, if he
does not, he will learn from the instruc-
tions in the booth. The arrangements
as to polling agents have been altered
since the first regulations on the subject
were issued, and we believe that now it
has been determined that each candidate
may appoint one agent for each polling
station, provided he gives notice Of the
appointment beforehand 1t remains to
mention that, although there is no iimi-
tation put on the expenses which can
didate may incur on his own behalf, the
corrupt and illegal practices prevention
act is in force, and that bribery, treating
a%d any unreasonably large expenditure
will be fatal. Those seem to US the
principal points to be borne in mind dur
ing the next few weeks IN connection
with the elections, aud 1t is obvious that
the more closely they are attended the
better for those who desire to escape the
many pitfalls which beset the path of
candidates and electors.
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per cent. - -