Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1902-02-22

the primary election bill. which was
adopted by the Senate. The matter is
one of prime Importance to our peo-
pie, and we are glad to be able to give
our readers the explanation Of the bill
Dy its author, Hon. e. f. Noel, IS he
gave it to the Senate;
The object of this bill is to enable
those who elect the ticket in the fall
to select for the summer, affording
them every opportunity and safeguard
in the selections that is provided for
the election. In other words, it car
ries into primary elections all of the
safeguards and penalties found in the
laws governing general elections. None
except qualified electors are permitted
to participate. The State Executive
Committee Of each party can add such
additional restrictions as they may
deem advisable. All primary elections
are to be held on the same day
throughout the State, the date to be
fixed bysthe State Executive Commit
tee, not earlier than the 1st nor later
than the 10th of August. County ex-
ecutive committees fill the functions
of elective commissioners and appoint
precinct officers and receive returns
| from theIh, canvass these returns, and
declare the final result as to county
and county district officers and send
tabulated statements of the result as
to State ana district candidates to the
district and State Executive Commit
tees. II frauds are perpetrated they
can be Investigated by county execu-
tive committees and corrected. Dis
trict and State Executive Committees
have similar powers as to State and
district candidates. State and district
executive committees meet one week
after the first primary and compile
the vote. All candidates who receive
majority of the popular vote are de-
clared to be nominees for their respect
ceives a majority Of the popular vote,
IL the one who receives the highest
vote obtains majority of the electoral
vote he is declared the nominee. The
electoral vote is determined by giving
to each county douule the representa-
! tion it has in the House of Represent
atives and dividing that representa-
tion between each candidate in proper
tion to the actual vote cast in each
county. If no candidate receives a ma
jority, under either method, then the
two candidates who receive the high
est popular vote run the race over in
second primary election to be held
three weeks after the first. Where
county or county district candidates so
agree in writing, filed with the execu-
tive committee, the first primary set
ties the contest as to them.
A State convention is to be held in
the year 1904 and every four years
thereafter, to select delegates to ma
tional convention and nominate presi-
Dental electors. Each county is to
have the same representation in the
State convention as is hitherto pro
vided, double its representation in the
lower house Of the Legislature Dele
gates to the State convention have to
be chosen at county convention
composed of delegates selected from
the different precincts The State
convention chooses three members of
the State Executive Committee from
each Congressional district, AMI the
county convention three executive
committeeman from each supervisors
district. Each county selects, in a way
provided by its executive committee,
its committee men on the congression-
al and judicial committees. County ex-
ecutive committees can fill all vacan-
cies for their respective counties on
judicial and congressional executive
committees. Executive committees are
shorn of nearly all their powers, be-
ing almost restricted to receiving and
compiling the vote Of primary elec-
tions and of passing upon the question
of fraud in the conduct of the cleo
ton. The election commissioners are
required to meet on the third Mon
day in July preceding each regular
primary election, instead OF October as
now, and to then revise the reglstra-
tion and poll books for use in the pri-
mary as well as in the general elec-
tion.
Each party shall bear the expense
Of its own primary election and can.
didates shall not be taxed with any
other charges, except those Of print
ing tickets and sending out ballot
boxes and booths, Candidates for
State and district offices shall not be
assessed any more in any county than
are county candidates for such ex-
penses. These are salient features Of
the bill, the other relating merely to
detail.
Nominees for district counties by
convention are entirely dispensed with.
Under such mode of nomination each
county has a representation in proper.
tion to its population, including ne
groes. While negroes are disqualified
from being electors, they are voted
by representation against white peo,
pie under such mode Of nomination,
A county having 10000 whites and 80.
900 negroes under convention system
has four times the strength Of another
county having 10000 whites and no
negroes. The chief object Of this law
was to hold the white people together
by gsttag to each white man fair al
portunity Of expressing his choice of
candidates and Of carrying THAI *.