Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1902-07-29
LEGAL OBSTACLES TO A PRI-
MARY.

cratic ticket next year that thu
: advocates of such departure iron
e established party usages have no
stopped to consider. These may b
summed up as follows:
4 with no convention, the party
q would enter the race without
platform of principles.
. 2.-The expenses Of a primary
would change democracy into a
plutocracy and make it impossible
for a poor man to aspire to a state
office.
3.-In the event only one candi
date aspired to an Office, under the
usual district rules the nomination
would fall upon the State Committee
and the party would be forced to
meet the charge of ring rule.
4-The committee would be with
out legal power to assess candi-
dates, and confusion and great dis
satisfaction would surely follow any
attempt to do so without lawful
authority.
5.-The Executive Committee has
no authority under the party law to
order state primary, and an alta
tempt to do so would be a usurpa-S
ton of power that would disrup
the party.
The first three have been dis
cussed more or less freely for
several months and are conceded to
be difficulties not easily met and
overcome. \-->------
The expense of a primary has
been demonstrated by actual ex-
perience so often in county elections
that no one who is conversant with
the law or its practical application
at the polls will estimate the ex-
pense of a state primary at less
than $500 to the county. 1t cost
Webster county $500 in 1901 to
nominate eight officers. It cost
Hopkins county $3.50 and Union
county about the same. 1t is cost
ing $3.50 to the county to nominate
one candidate in the eight counties
of the Second congressionaldistrict,
paying officers only half price and
borrowing booths and boxes, and
nearly every county is asking TOR
more. 1t will cost Daviess county
$3.50 to nominate judge and COM
monwealth's attorney. If a legal
ized primary should be held in ll9
counties 1t would cost not a cent
less than $4,000. With this enor-
nous sum to provide, the State
Committee would be without lawful
authority to raise it except by vol
untary contributions.
Section 121 of the Election Laws
says:
"All expenses for holding such
primary elections shall be borne
and paid by the political PARTY
holding same, and the pay of Off
GERS, cost of publishing and circu-
lating notices of elections and all
other expenses, shall be betrayed
in such manner as may be provided
for By the committee or governing
authority of the political party
holding such primaries.
This is the law OF the subject
and there is nothing in it to author
ize a committee to tax candidates
any more than there is to levy a
franchise tax on corporations. The
arbitrary and unlawful taxation Of
candidates for office by party s
governing authority, and the extor-
tlon of money from them as a con-
dition of their running for office,
would be a species of despotism
that would drive out of a party
every man who believes that our
forefathers were right when they
O went to war with England in resis-
; lance to unjust taxation.
A The Democratic party cannot
!. afford to drive poor but aspiring
I. young men away from it and serve
notice that none but rich men car
o seek Office in its ranks. The can
= didate who was unwilling to be held
4 up would have redress in the courts
r. and could fatty refuse to buy Z
permit to run and could enjoin tn,
party committee from leaving his
name off the ballot. Does any mai
3 assert that the injunction would no
=, hold good in law2 Then let hin
4