Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-04-12
A PRIMARY ELECTION LAW.

Vermonts last legislature passed a
number of bills relating to the ballot,
but none of them go to the root of the
evils attached to popular elections.
Where one party preponderates all others,
the actual choice of public officials takes
place at the primaries of that party; and
with loose primary laws, or none at all,
as is often the case, unfair-not to say
vlcious-tactics are frequently resorted
to by INSCRIPTIONS persons to secure the
nomination of the man of their choice, or
often of themselves. The REGISTER
called attention to this matter when the
election laws were under discussion at
Montpelier, and now we find in the Mir
ror and Farmer the following vivid &C.
count of the experience of Wisconsin in
securing the passage of such law
The lower house of the Wisconsin legislR.
ture has passed a bill which IL described as
the most radical step In political reform thus
far taken in the United States. 1t wipes out
all caucuses and conventions and provides
that party candidates shall be selected by
ballot at primary meetings which shall be
held by all recognized parties on the same
day, reasonable time before the election.
Members OF ward and town com mittees are
TO be chosen the same time and In the same
way. All nominations must be by ballot and
there are numerous regulations and safe
guards intended to give every man chance
to vote, to nominate the candidates of his
choice in his own party, and to exclude all
from meetings of parties not their own.
This bill, which has the support of Governor
Lafollette and most OF the state officials, Is
bitterly opposed by the federal office holders
and by the managing politicians, who see in
1t a scheme for their own undoing. 1t has
been agitated for six years and appear to
have the backing of the people, for many OF
| the members were instructed to vote for it,
The fight over it has been the fiercest ever
seen in the Legislature and the feeling as il
neareu a vote was intense-so much so that
AssemDlymen Miller OF Wausau postponed
| for day the funeral of his son, and Esau of
Milwa kee, in spite of the orders of his ply
sician, left his ben, to which he had been con
fined by pneumonia, to go to Madison and be
counted against the measure.
The majority for it was only three in a full
house of 700 members. 1t is now in the sen
ate, where its euemes will try to amend it SO
as TO submit ii to the people, which would
postpone its operation for two years; but il
seems 10 be destined to become a law sooner
or later. IL it does, its working will be
watched with great interest, for IL will revol
utiohlHe PRIMARIES Wnicn are IN reality the
gatherings in which the public officials of
this country are generally selected. In one
or two southern states, by party agreement,
not by law, candidates for the more important
offices are elected as is proposed in Wiscon.
sin, but elsewhere the choice is made in eau.
cuses which are too often controlled by heel
ers, many of whom are not legal voters, or il
they are they do not vote the ticket after it is
nominated.
The evils of this system are very apparent,
especially In states ike New YORK ana Penn
sylvania, where party machinery is entirely
in The hands Of bosses who with little effort
control conventions and dictate nominations
with little regard to the wishes OF the great
mass OF the parties.