Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-04-26
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS
FACTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARY
CAUCUS REFORM IN MINNESOTA.

CAUCUS REFORM IN MINNESOTA.
Vermont is far from being the only
state in which there is a pronounced de
mand for reform In the method of con.
Quoting political primaries. Wisconsin
has recently introduced a novel method
of nominating candidates for office, which
has already been outlined in these col
umns and which in brief involves a direct
vote by the people. The state of Mime
sofa has also recently adopted a modified
form of the Wisconsin plan and after
September | next the delegate conven-
ton with its trading and trickery will be
relegated to the past.
The law which was tested In Minneap.
oils and later made applicable to the en-
tire state applies to all elective officers
except the supreme court Judges and the
heads of the state executive departments.
When the new law takes effect all nomi.
nations for local, county, legislative, con-
gressonal and minor judicial offices will
be made directly by the people. Under
this system common primaries for all
parties will be held concurrently and
under compulsion. The primary election
day will be combined with one of the
registration DAYS so as to save time on
the part of the suflragists, and the regu-
lar Judges and clerks of election will
serve as Judges. and clerks of the pri-
maries.
In order to secure a place on ticket
as candidate for Office the aspirant has
only to file with the county auditor an
affidavit that he is member of the party
whose nomination he seeks and is bona
fide candidate for specified office. In
addition he must pay small fee which
goes toward the expenses of the primary.
With the adoption of this method the
voter casts his ballot directly for the
man whom he would have selected as the
candidate of his party for certain office
instead of delegating the authority to
representative in some caucus and con-
vention, and he knows that his will is
certain to secure expression. If suffi-
Client number of voters are of his way of
thinking, his favorite will be the party
nominee, otherwise he must submit 10 the
will of the majority.
There can be no question as to the wish
of the people. for it is directly expressed.
There is little probability of Democrats
voting for the selection of Republican
nominees or vice versa, for the primaries
of all parties are simultaneous, and each
mans name is checked. There are vari-
Gus other commendabe features of a mi
nor character, which it is not necessary
to recount at this time, and it is not i'm
probable that the system in operation
may prove to have defects. 1t is mani
testify long step in advance In the
direction of pure political primaries,
however, and In time every state in the
Union will adopt this or some other
method of making political nominations
which will avoid the abuses of the pres
ent party caucus.-Bu Burlington Free Press.
THE SUPREME COURT AND IMPERIALISM.
Two decisions of the supreme court
handed down on Monday seemed at first
glance to suggest, and have been re-
garded by many as suggesting, the
attitude of the court toward imperialism.
The first was decision that the war
tax upon export bills of lading is uncon-
stitutional. But there was no question
but that the bills of ladng and the goods
iHty CONtItu Cdult lIOul Il pdil VI lUe
United States which everybody admits
is under the Constitution. The second
was an order recognizing Hawaii as I'M
der the jurisdiction of the Constitution.
But Hawaii was specifically drawn I'M
der the Constitution, or recognized as
being under the Constitution, by an act
of congress. signed by the president on
April 80, 1900, and going into effect on
June Il, 1900; and in that act all Hawai-
ians who were citizens of Hawaii on
Aug. u, 1898, were recognized as citi-
Zens of the United States.
In the cases involving imperialism the
question which the supreme court has
TO decide is the contention of Mr.. Nc
Kinley and the imperlalists that the
Spanish war acquisitions are without the
Constitution and Will remain without it
and can be governed without until con-
gress shall extend the Constitution to
them.
Senator Sp)oner of Wisconsin said
few weeks ago, "The supreme court
will not dare 10 upset the government"
and this proposition, more courteously
stated, was a considerable part of the