Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-05-21


cratic state central committees respect
lively to place a construction on the
caucus law, have issued a circular in
which the law is fully explained with
the method in which they believe eau
cuses should be conducted. In their
Interpretation they declare that proxies
cannot be given for conventions. They
also explain what they consider to be
the duties of the city committee. In
full their explanation Of the law and
the construction which should be put
upon it is as follows:
The legislature at it's last session en-
acted chapter BAL, laws of 1899, which
embraces certain provisions intended
to control the manner of conducting
caucuses. The following is an analy-
sis of the requirements of the statute:
1. 1t applies to all towns, villages
and wards except the cities of Milwau-
kee, Wauwatosa and South Milwaukee;
the towns and villages of Milwaukee
county come within the provisions OF
the measure.
2. A caucus in any meeting OF elect
ors in any town, village or ward held
for the purpose of nominating cand1-
dates for office, to be voted for at an
election, and also, any such meeting
held for the purpose Of electing dele
gates to attend a convention called to
nominate candidates for Office to be
voted for at any general, judicial or
municipal election. This limitation
excludes from the operation of the stat
70 oil
gates to county conventions whose only
purpose is the election of delegates to
a state or congressional convention.
The delegates to such conventions may
be selected according to the terms OF
this law, or as heretofore, without ref
erence to it At the same caucus can
didates for ward Offices and delegates
to a city or county convention may be
named.
8. The caucuses in all towns, vii
lagos and wards, in the same county,
must be held upon the same day; the
caucuses in the cities to be held during
the same hours; those in villages and
towns may be called at different hours,
on the same day, as may be specified IL
the required notice to be given by the
chairman Of the county committee.
4. The duration of the caucus shall
be at least one hour, and for such addi-
tional time as may be prescribed in the
notice calling the caucus.
5. The law vests the power to call
caucuses, when applicable in two COM
mittees, namely, the county committee
and the city committee. Uniformity
under the law requires that the county
committee shall act in all cases except
when there is a special election in
city or when the city election is held
at different time from the election in
the towns and villages in the same
county.
County Committee.
l. The county committee shall be
composed of chairman, secretary and
one member for each ward, town or vii
lage.
2. The law presuppoSes the existence
of such a committee in every county,
as it fails to specify how the members
are to be selected in case no such COM
mittee exists. In counties where
committee exists but the membership
is incomplete, the county convention,
as heretofore, may select the necessary
members from the towns, wards or vii
lagos without representation on the
committee. Existing county commit
tees composed in accordance with this
law may be continued without any
change. Custom will determine the
length OF tne term of member, as the
law is silent upon this point.
8. The county convention elects the
chairman and secretary of the commit
tee. This must be done at conven-
ton called to nominate candidates for
office. If any member of the commit
tee representing town, village Or
ward is selected as chairman or secre-
tary, this will create a vacancy in the
committee from the town, village or
ward represented by such person.
4. The county committee elects its
treasurer and assistant secretary. The
executive committee shall consist of a
chairman, secretary, treasurer and five
electors. The five electors may or may
not be the members of the committee
and shall be elected by the chairman.
5. The names Of the officers of the
county committee shall appear upon
the face of all nomination papers filed
with the county clerk. Immediately
upon the election of a chairman and
secretary of the committee by the
county convention, ~-4eir names should
be filed with the county clerk.
s. Meetings of the committee are to
be called by the chairman, unless the
committee by resolution shall other
wise provide.
The committee has power
1. To fill all vacancies that may oc-
cur in it's membership.
2. To determine the day and place
when and where the conventions of the
political party it represents shall be
held, which includes all senate and as
sembly districts wholly within the
county.
3. To determine the day and the