The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-05

vanced against It. And now that parties
and party nominations are recognized in
our statutes, and party tickets are printed
by the public authorities to be voted by the
party men as prepared, it is more than
ever essential to good government that the
members OF every party in each locality
should be given as full and fair an opportu-
nifty as can be reasonably devised to put
this natural law of choice into effect And
especially is this true where a nomination
is equivalent to an election. 1t seems I'M
who is not known to be the choice of the
rlHjority. 1t should be in politics, if it can
We, as in other important affairs. that the
voice of the ma jority is the voice of ALL
But so far no method has been found to
always secure this ma jority choice in party
nominations. If a candidate receives a ma
jority of all the votes honestly cast at
primary election the rule is filled to the full
measure Where there are more than two
candidates for the same office (and there
are, generally speaking, more than two at
the primary, the rule is in this State that
a plurality dominates. This. under the
present primary method, must be so; as
there Is no practice of holding second
primary. or a delegate convention to fill
the places where no candidates have re-
ceived a majority of all the votes cast. If
a candidate at primary election receives
simply a plurality over fire or ten oppo-
nents, he may have only fraction of his
party behind him as the first choice, and
yet he is made the nominee of all. If he is
nominated by delegate convention there
is no certain means of knowing whether
he is or is not the choice of the voters in
his party.
practices too often encouraged in selecting
delegates to conventions or at primaries, it
is enough to say that 1t is apparent to all
men that our present methods of nominal
tions are far in arrear of our methods Of
elections.
when one comes to indicate specifically
the steps TO be taken to bring about
wholesome revision of our methods of NOM
ination 1T must be remembered that any
law must fit our present conditions. The
people in some counties have long prac-
ticed the delegate system, and in others the
direct method of nominating at party polls
The nearer politics are brought to the indi-
vidual voter and taxpayer the better and
this is the opinion of great majority of
the people.
THE Republican state convention de-
ciared In favor OF a law authorizing the
state central committee to make and en-
force regulations for selecting delegates to
state conventions congressional conven-
tions and other district conventions. This
Is wholesome and fits in with a wider re-
vision. These committees, as we'll as the
county committees, are already recognized
by law as quasi-political bodies CORPORATE
And 1t is practical to vest these commit
tees with the power to establish a reform
method of choosing delegates to state and
district conventions The discussion is now
reduced to county and other local nominal
tons. And 1t must at ali times be kept i'm
the foreground that IT would very probably
be impossible 70 pass any law enforcing on
all the parties in every county either the
delegate or the primary method of nomi-
mating local candidates.
PLAN SUBMITTED.
1.-THE subcommittee therefore submit To
the general committee the following for
their consideration:
"First-Fix time within which primaries
for nominating local candidates or dele
gates shall be held.
"Second-Provide a uniform method of
For
shall appoint boards of primary election
commissioners from the members of each
political party holding primary. the
members TO be freeholders and not office
holders and members of no political com
mittee, and make it the duty of this co,,ntv
primary board to appoint the primary cleo
tion boards for their respective parties.
'Third-The time has come when il is
necessary that We should have a practicaI
registration law. 1t might be made part
of this law to register the voters politically
and provide that no one should vote ar p
rolled a member of his party 1t seems
unwise to permit any to take a mart
in the nominations who will not vote for
the party ticket
"Fourth-The parties should hold their
primaries separately This of course
pay the expenses as they do now Almost
every party man is willing to do his share
of party work for party success These
party elections need only be held in wards
or townships, except perhaps in cities If
voting machines come into general use the
expense will be much lessened. If the
costs of the primary are to be paid out of
the public treasury, then 1t would seem that
to save expense the primaries should he
held jointly. Where this practice has been