The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-01-24

treasury that is not a serious matter
No expense is unwisely incurred thai
will make corruption at the polls i'm
possible, 3Ed the expense might easily
be met by appropriating from the
treasury of the state a sufficient SUN
to provide each county with the nee
essary number of machines.
I also recommend to the Legislature
the amendment Of the present law sc
that the polls will close at O'clock
1t may be said by some that this
change was tried few years ago and
was found unpopular and the present
hour of closing was returned to. II
is true the experiment was tried and
abandoned, but it was done for party
reasons and not because majority
Of the people were dissatisfied with it.
If the law works well in New York
and it is 50 conceded-th is no rea-
son why it should not work well in
New Jersey. 1t is admitted by those
who have had practical experience at
the polls that large proportion of the
Illegal voting is done after shutdown
Crookedness OF all kinds thriyes better
in the dark than in the sunlight, and
it is for this reason probably that SO
many Of the states have thought 1t
wise to enact what is known as sun
set law. New Jersey should not be
behind her sister states.
Primary Election Law.
I also recommend the passage of a
primary election law. Our primaries
are still under the conduct of party
agencies The existing provisions of
the law not only permit but encourage
the conduct of the primaries by the
agents selected by the dominant Or
ganization within the party under
which the primary is held. 1t will
probably be conceded by all that an
immense advantage is thereby afforded
for the execution of any purpose that
may have been formed by the party
leaders and that the free and untram-
meled expression OF the party voters is
well nigh impossible. 1t is currently
reported and perhaps generally believ-
ed that in more than one case the pop
ular will has been unable to express it.
self, the popular choice set aside, by
practices and proceedings rendered
possible by the methods under which
primaries are conducted. This is a
very serious matter. In order to have
an election there must be a regular
nomination. If the will of the legal
voters within a party is defeated OF
controlled as to the choice of a candi-
date the right of suffrage, the right of
choice, is trammeled and perhaps alto.
gether set at naught. The legislature
has already given expression to the
moral sense of the citizens of this state
by attempting to regulate primaries.
Violations of the statutory regulations
/ are claSsed as criminal offenses, and
the question now remaining is not one
Of moral sense, but of method. 1t Is
earnestly suggested that further legis-
lation upon this subject be enacted,
and it is recommended that the primal
ries Of the two leading parties be held
under the supervision of the regular
boards of election and that the expense
of holding the same be met out of the
public funds in the same manner i'll
which the expenses of the elections are
betrayed, with similar penalties for
any violation of the statutory regula-
lions under which they are held. 1t is
not forgotten that all laws depend
very largely for their efficiency upon
the persons who execute them and
that unless the statutory provisions are
complied with and any violations OF
duty are promptly and vigorously dealt
with by courts and juries the require
ments of statutes are of little avail. 1t
is believed that the suggestions made
will contribute in no small degree to
secure results in which the voters will
have confidence.