The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1902-02-13
Sk0whegan Mems Club.

AT the meeting Of Skowhegan Men.
Grub, held in the library parlors Friday
evening, there were 30 present. After
the transaction Of necessary business
Rev. II. W. kimbal made an address in
favor Of the plan of direct prima ries, o.
a law providing for the nomination Of
State and county officers by the several
parties by direct vote.
The speaker in his argument referred
to the law providing for the selection Of
candidates for election by popular vote,
enacted by the legislature of the State Of
Minnesota and approved by the governor
April 10Th, and which went into opera
ton Sept /, 1901 also to an act recon-
mended by the Republican governor OF
Wisconsin, to provide for political nomi
nations by direct vote, but which was
defeated in the legislature after warm
contest in the winter of 1901. The Re
publican platform adopted By the Wis
.consin State Convention of 1900 contained
a plank in favor of law to this end.
He also referred to the adoption Of thi.
plan of nomination by the States OF
South Carolina and Georgia.
The nomination of candidates By d.
rect vote Is intended, the speaker said
to do away with all party caueuses and
conventions and to place the work 10 The
hands of the voters, surrounded with al
necessary legal provisions to make nomi
nations as much the act of voters as are
elections now. He claimed for the plal
that it will eliminate the political Boss
and the undesirable features of machine
politics.
Mr.. kimball had copy of an officia
ballot drawn On blackboard which ht
used in explaining the features of tn,
plan. He also read letter from Mr.. +
l.. Dngley of the Lewiston journal whC
in general terms endorsed the plan anC
advocated better arrangements for voters
to make themselves felt in the primaries
He said that in Lewiston they have wha
is termed the Long Caucus" all day
assembly and the use of the check lis,
which is step in the right direction.
Upon conclusion of the address Presi
dent Butler called for an expression o.
the club by vote on the plan as outlined
by Mr.. Kimball and nearly all stood W
in favor of such a change and none il
opposition.
The principal trouble, as we under
stand the matter Of primaries of poltica
parties, is that the great mass Of voters
will not or do not attend them unles,
there is some great issue to bring then
out, and because of this, the manage
ment is apt To drift into the hands OF
a few men who are willing to attend anc
assume leadership and have things go a,
they wish.
In this State the provisions of law re
lating to primaries and conventions are
not onerous. The Maine legislature Of
1887 enacted a law providing for govern
ment of caueuses in cities of more thar
20 600 inhabitants, and in 1897 an act il
relation 10 caucuses in cities was passed
and made to apply to all Maine cite,
having % 900 inhabitants or less. A;
we understand it, there is no law relat
ing To caucuses in towns in the State
excepting such regulations as com,
about, incidentally, by virtue of the re
quirements of the Australian system o
voting in vogue in Maine.
A special law was enacted in 1889
regulating eaucuses in the city of Bid
deford,' and one was enacted in 1891 "'il
relation to political caucuses in the city o
Bangor Biddeford is a close city, usual
ly Democratic and is often in political tur
moil Bangor has not yet got fully a
work under its law of last winter. |
has been stated that unexpected diff
culties are being experienced in thu
working of that law by reason of tn
board of registration not furnishing party
committees with full lists of voters a.
the law provides.
The great majority of people in thi
State, we believe, desire to see all voter
have! the best possible opportunity t.
register their wishes at the primarie
and at the polls. No sensible man o.
sagaeous politician can with any show
of fairness object to this. Whether tn,
scheme 70 nominate candidates for othc,
by direct vote in primaries would have
tendency to this end may be a question
in the minds OF honest men of all parties
1t is comparatively new question to 3
large number of voters in Maine anC
they will watch with interest the work
ing of the plan in other States. Il is no
necessarily party issue, it having beer
adopted in the Democratic States Soutl
Carolina and Georgia and in the Reput
lican State Minnesota and in various 10
calities in other Republican States.
is worthy of candid considerations
More Defendants
In the famous "saw-dustn case Whcl