Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-05-31
FIFTH LETTER.

MI elaborated a system of party COM
mireeas which requires careful consid-
GRAFTON. In each election district there
was TO be chosen at the primary cleo
ton IN September q committee of three.
Tho person polling the highest number
al votes was designated as the chairman
or the committee. There were to be
other committees as follows:
l., In each city, central committee,
made up OF the chairmen Of the commit
tees in tho election districts in the city.
:. In each county a central commit
tee raade UP Of the chairmen Of the COM
mistees in tho election districts in the
county.
5. In each Assembly district a COM
mite made UP OF the chairmeu OF the
committees in the election districts in
the assembly district.
I. In each senatorial district a COM
mittee made up of the chairmen Of the
committees of the Assembly districts in
ting senatorial districts.
D. In each congressional district a
ccinmnrtee mace up of the chairmen OF
che county committees wholly or par
TALLY In the congressional district.
o.. In the state central committee
made of the chairmen Of the county
committees.
Z. The central committee of each city
and county and Of the state was to
choose from Its own number a chairman
and executive committee, who, in turn.
wore TO select secretary.
S. Each candidate for congress, state
senate or Assembly, Immediately upon
his nomination, was to select for his
party central committee OF his district,
and from the members Thereof, q chair
man, a secretary and an executive COM
mittee.
O.. Any vacancy in the place Of an
officer Of any committee was to be filed
in the same manner as the original officer
was chosen.
Duties of Conn. ittees.
The duties imposed by the bill upon
members of party committees were as
follows:
/. Tie chairman of a committee Of
4 voting district was to represent his
party at the polling place in his district
during the canvass and return of the
vote to certify thereon to the accuracy
and completeness of each duplicate re-
turn relating to his party vote, and to
receive and keep one copy Of such re-
turn for use in making any canvass of
such vote required to be made without
tho voting district.
2. In q city ward divided into two or
more voting districts, the chairmen of
the committees of such districts were to
canvass the whole vote of the ward and
declare the nominee of their party for q
ward Office.
3. The canvass of the vote of a city
relating to nominees for city offices was
to be made by the chairn1en of the COM
mittees of all the voting districts in the
city.
4. The canvass required by either of
the last two paragraphs was to be made
at, or at a suitable place, as near as
might be to, the office of the city clerk,
at q specified day and hour.
Q. a canvass of a county vote was to
be made by the chairnen of the COM
nittees of all the voting districts in the
county at or at suitable place as near
as might be to, the Office of the county
clerk, at specified day and hour.
d. canvass of party vote relating
to state officers, congressman, state SEN
ators and members of the Assembly, was
to be made by the chairmen of the coun-
ty central committees at the capitol at a
specified day and hour. In the case of
state officers, all county chairmen par
ticipated in the canvass, and in the other
cases the chairmen of the counties who'll
ly or partly in the districts concerned.
&. III proper years presidential elect
ors We're to be chosen by ballot by the
county chairmen, when they met as a
state canvasSing board.
8. All county chairmen making a can
vass were required to certify upon the
return to the fullness and accuracy there
of.
9. If chairman of a committee of a
voting district could not exercise the pow
ers and perform the duties Of his Office,
another member of his committee might
be designated by him, or chosen by lot,
TO act in his place.
TO- In the absence of the chairman of
the county committee the powers vested
in him were exercised by the secretary of
the committee.
IL. A vacancy in the committee of the
voting district was to be filed by the re-
naming members of the committee.
L. Vacancies in the nominations oc-
curing after the holding of the primary
election were to be filled by the party
committee of the city. county, district or
state, as the case might be.
IL. No member or officer Of any par
ty committee was to receive any COM
pensation from the public for the services
required by the bill, or for expenses in
Cured in their performance.
II. Any officer or member of any po-
Htical committee - who willfully
failed and neglected to perform any duty
required of him by the bill was to be
deemed guilty of misdemeanor, and, up
on conviction, liable TO fine of not less
than S25 nor more than $4,000, or by i'm
rrisonment in the county Jail not less
than sixty days nor more than one year,
Or by both such fine and Imprisonment"
There were, at the last election, 1740
voting districts in the state. There were
four political parties that would have
been entitled, under the Stevens bill, to
primary election ballots At the first
primary election held under, the bill each
political party would have elected 1920
committeeman, and the four parties to-
gether would have chosen 20,SS0 COM
mitteemen
This bill proposed to take under the
charge of the law the internal affairs of
all political parties in the state, and adj
minister them by its own agents and
officers according to its own prescribed
methods. The duties laid upon commit
teemen were onerous. The chairman, or
acting chairman, of the committee of
each election district was required to
look after important matters and per-
form specific duties in his own district,
which would have been part or ali of
city ward, town or village; and then
ex-officio he would have been a member
of the central committee of his ward,
town or village, if it contained more than
one election district, of his city, if his
district were a ward therein, of his coun-
ty, and of his Assembly district. He
had also before him possible ex-
officio membership in the central
committee of his senatorial or con-
gressional district, and of the state.
If resident of a town or village, he
would have been ex-officio a member of
at least two and possibly of six central
committees; if resident of a city, of
at least three and possibly seven. All
this service was to be gratuitous, so far
as the public knew, or was concerned.
1t would have occupied much of his time