The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-04-28
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
THE PRIMARY ELECTION LAW.
How It Was Amended at the Last Ses-
sion Of the Legislature.

BALrrMoRE COUNTY, April "a, 1900.
Messrs. Longnecker BTos.:-1n view Of the fact
s6oy e county the pubic may well
be interested In an amendment to the primary
law enacted by the last Legislature. The fol-
lowing is a copy Of the amendment:
"SEc. z. Be It enacted by the General Assem-
bly, of Maryland that article of the code or
Public Local Laws. title Baltimore county. sub
26l of the acts of 1892, are hereby amended by
adding new section thereto to follow after
section and to be known as section "a, as
"SEc. "a. At any primary election, precinct
meeting or any meeting held in Baltimore coun-
or more candidates for public office to be voted
for by the people of said county, or for select
ing delegates to any convention Of such party,
bribery, reward, or promise of any article Of
value, shall induce, or endeavor to induce, any
person to vote. or abstain from voting for any
delegate or candidate at such election or meet
ing or any person who shall counsel, assist In,
or direct such intimidation, bribery, reward or
SecIared e,siItv Of n,sdemesnor and sbai be
punished by imprisonment in Jail for not more
than 60 days; or by fine Of not moro than two
ment, in the discretion of the court.
SEC. 2. And be 1t enacted that this act shall
take effect from the date of its passage"
Such is the amendment to the local primary
law of 1892. The writer is informed that the
original draft Of that law was purposely SO al
tiveness of its anti-bribery section.
No immediate revolution Is to be expected
from the passage Of the above amendment. At
in the advance to better primaries and better
politics. Only those In practical politics know
the frightfully rapid growth of primary corrup-
ton. OF what use to throw around the polls
every device that ingenuity can suggest to pre-
vent corrupt practices when the primarieS-the
foundation OF the whole electoral system-are
wholly unprotected The primaries are really
the jwpQxt4pt fleGti0p ,EAeEs the candidates
as Governor Lowndes declared, In his last mes
sage to the Legislature, the corrupt growth of
the present system of primaries, besides disfran-
chising the man of moderate means, often re-
suits In presenting candidates at the general
election who are not the choice of either party
or the people.
The candidate in the past has been forced to
adopt methods he often hates, or stay out of the
fight, and the poor man shut out from political
rent in arrears, sacrifices the inestimable privi-
lege of citizen, or sees his vote cancelled by q
less scrupulous fellow voter. So the evil system
OF buying votes at primaries has grown until it
must fall from its own weight.
1t will be noticed that no attempt is made to
punish the man who receives, but only the man
who pays. This is as it should be, for the re-
ceiver is the only available witness and is gener-
ally poor man who is often badly tempted and
whom an evil system; resulting from laxity Of
Public sentiment has made the law, and the
law reacting on public opinion will, after even
giving odious. In agtating for better law the
writer wishes to acknowledge the valuable aid
OF The UNION and to thank Mr.. Redmond T..
Stewart for his care in guiding it through the
House. AS stated above this law is only step,
but long step, on the path of reform. and a
strong help in making the poor man equal be,
fore the law when competing for political
honors.
Let us hope that before long we shall see the
same law for the primaries as for the polls. and
over all the great safeguard of an absolutely
secret ballot the only preventive of bribery.
Perhaps the people are not yet prepared for this
advance. being, as it Is. an expensive and some
what cumbersome method of holding primaries.
To obviate these defects the California law has
provided for holding all primaries on the same
day, and all lists of candidates are placed in col
umns on a blanket ballot. Secrecy is provided
for under State officers, and of course man can
self selects. This may seem revolutionary, but
it is at least an advance on the present custom
of partizan judges so often allowing agile voters
to vote in several primaries and usually for
consideration.
Probably the next most feasible step (besides
providing for greater responsibility to attach to
the primary judges) is to adopt some modifica-
ton of the Kentucky law. In Kentucky the
voter when he registers, is invited to U0uRtdrtty
designate the party with which he desires to
affiliate" Thus his party status is fixed for one
year, though he may change 1t at the next an
nual registration. From inspection of the law
no limit seems to be placed on the discretion of
primary judges in accepting votes from voters
so registered. but probably party regulation or
custom supplies this omission. Surely such a
voluntary system of registering party utilization
would be harmless and would very likely result
in largely preventing the interested voter at
tending too many primaries
Very respectfully, e. l.. PAINTER.