The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-28

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certain politicians resorted to the courts,
and strove in three distinct actions to
knock the law out on constitutional
and other grounds They failed in all
| these attempts Then the election day
came. The result was surprise to the
| opponents and even the friends of the
| plan. Those who said the idea was a
| visionary scheme of a newspaper report
| er, pretty in theory, but Impossible in
| practice, admitted their error, and even
the newspapers which had fought the
bill came out as one and spoke in its
| favor, admitting their surprise.
| The election was quiet one; there was
! no trouble; the votes were polled with
astonishing rapidity, and when the day
| was done there had been registered and
| voted 50, 600 men, or more than the entire
vote at the last previous state election
! by 10 per cent. By the time twcnty-four
hours had elapsed the newspapers print
ed the result and the public knew who
| had been nominated on both the Repub-
| lican and Democratic tickets, for dis
| trict judge, member Of congress, county
auditor, register of Deeds county attor-
neY, judge of probate, sheriff, county
treasurer, coroner, clerk of district court,
! county surveyor, court commissioner,
| county commissioners, representatives
| for all districts to legislature, mayor,
| city treasurer, city comptroller, judge
| of municipal court, school directors, il
brary directors, park commissioners and
| aldermen of all the wards in tine city Of
| Minneapolis
NOMINATED IN A CLEAN WAY.
This most successfA direct primary
| election has done one thing of which the
city was heartily glad. OF late the con-
ventions had become disgraceful. There
was open bribery for delegates, ruptures
which resulted in quarrels which almost
brought men to blows, all-night sessions
and deep-seated animosity among fac
lions which lasted until election day. The
direct primary had done away with four
teen caucuses and tflirty-seven conven-
lions, which had been scattered over
period of two months each election year
and all had been done in one day. Aside
from this, there had been registra ton
for the general election. SO that every
thing had been done at once, the busy
man had dabb.ed in politics and he had
accomplished as much in one visit 70 the
polls as he would have done in the Fast
in seven.
The safety of the bosses and precinct
workers had been in the multiplicity of
work devolving upon the voter The
more trouble it was to nominate the more
idle and vicious men engaged in it. AS
soon as the work was made lighter then
the business men and the better class of
people look part the primaries. On
this one trial 1t was shown that almost
the entire voting population took Part
in the primaries. Add to this that the
best list of officials were nominated that
ever went before the people and you have
some idea of what this law accomplish
ed. 1t not only selected good men, but
it forever laid upon the shelf five alder
men who under the old system had
life lease upon their positions and did not
of a Tc
wonder that Minnesota swears by the
law?
THE NEW LAW EXPLAINED.
1t is necessary, in order that one should
fully comprehend the workings of the
Day primary law, that he should have
an idea of the election law under which
Minnesota operates. Different states have
different election laws, and hence a pri-
mary law drawn after the Day law must
have some different provisions in differ
ent states. In Minnesota there is COM
pulsory registration personally, before
such election, in cities. Every voter must
visit a registra ton board on one of three
days before election, and taking an oath
answer questions regarding his residence
and place of birth, etc He is then reg
istered by the board. In the country
districts the town boards meet on a GER
tain day before each election and copy
the old lists, adding to them any who
may personally appear, or any one who
is known by the board to have become a
voter.
Minnesota has the Australian ballot
and booths are erected in every district
in which voters can secretly mark their
ballots. This, in brief, is the Minnesota
election law which existed when the pri-
mary law was passed. The idea of the
primary law was to get out as many
voters as possible, and have the nomi-
mating secret, and yet have party Ines
drawn so that no man could help nomi-
nate on two tickets. The first idea was
accomplished in this manner If voter
could register at the general election,
and vote for nominees at the same time,
it was an incentive for him to get out
and register that day. The result proved
the idea.
The Day primary law provides that the
first registration day for the general cleo
ton shall be held seven weeks previous
! to a general election, instead of three
weeks, as under the election law. Thus,
J the first registration day was set back,
in order to give a thirty-day campaign.
In the country districts the same day
was named, and those who came to vote
| at a primary only were required to regis
| ter personally. After that the town board
met as formerly and filled up the list,
so that there was no change there. In
| this connection, it is well to say here
! that the country turned out splendidly,
showing that the farmers took to the
new law with avidity, and for the first
| time in their lives had as much to say
! as city voters about the nominations
DONE ON REGISTRATION DAY.
The primary law required that on the
| first registration day, which was the pri-
| mary election day, the booths should be
erected in all the voting districts and
| that the regular regiStra ton officer q
should become officers for the primary
| election without any additional recon-
| pense. The registration boards were al
| lowed to call to their assistance such ad-
| ditional clerks as were necessary to as
| sist in the balloting. To provide for this
| there were two additional clerks appoint
| ed in every city district, and they were
ample In the country they needed none.
| When the voter went to a poll to vote
| it was q very simple matter. Even if he
had not previously known of the primary
election and went there solely to register
1t took but a moment to instruct him
| that he could vote for his choice for
nominees for oil officers to be elected. He
was then registered, after being sworn
and the ballot judge handed him two
| tickets, exactly the same size and color
! each headed in large letters with the
name Of party. He was instructed that
! he could take both tickets into the booth
! but could mark but one of the tickets,
although he must return both TO the bal
| lot judge, folded together. Thus, the vote
| was secret one. The plan worked so
well that in one district iii the city lOS
| votes had been pollcd at 8 o'clock a. IN.
The polls were kept open from O'Clock
| In the morning until 8 o'clock in the
evening, and the law provides that all
/ persons in line at that time must be
voted before the polls were closed, but
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