New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-14
HISsIssIPPrS ELECTION.

On August 6 the voters of Mississippi treated
| themselves to a sensation they had not en-
joyed for years. They held an election in which
two seats in the United States Senate, Gov
ernorship and numerous minor State offices
were contested for-an election, too in which
there was apparently. free ballot and an hon
est count The vote polled was larger than that
cast i'm any State or Presidential election since
1885, and the excitement generated revived
memories OF the hacyon days OF red shirt
activity before the famous George c0nstitu-
ton eliminating popular suffrage went into
effect
Mississippfs election was one, however. wholly
unprovided for either in the old Reconstruction
or in the new George scheme Of government.
1t was not an election at all, perhaps, in the
accepted legal and constitutional sense. But
practically it was meant to supersede all other
forms of election. It organized the Democratic
voters of Mississippi as a State within State.
It remanded TO them-and to them exclusively
under the terms Of the curious Noel law, the
right to fll-and TO fill directly-all elective
State and federal offices.
The Noel law. in fact. creates a new electo-
rate in Mississippi. 1t gives the Democratic
party. as such. no power it had not previously
usurped. But it fixes and legalizes the control
asserted by that party in all State elections. by
virtually abolishing general suffrage and by
vesing the choice of all elective officers strictly
in the Democratic organization. Unlike other
schemes of primary nomination, it provides for
a State electoral college, each county having
representation in it according to population. If
more than two candidates contest for any Of
flee and one of them has a clear majority of
the popular vote, the one polling this majority
becomes the party nominee. If one of them
has plurality of the popular vote and ma
jority of the electoral vote he, too, becomes the
party nominee without a further contest But,
If all aspirants lack equally the necessary plu-
ralty on the State vote and the necessary ma
jority in the electoral college, the two having
shown the greatest strength must again in
a later primary.
Such a result was shown on the first test Of
the Noel law in the contest for the Governor
ship Major Vardaman led the poll, receiving
80 41 votes. Judge Critz. who ran second, got
35413 and Senator Noel. the author of the law,
who ran third, got 24.231 Major Vardaman had
100 electoral votes Judge Critz ia ana Senator
Noel 90. Major Vardaman and Judge Critz will
therefore have to engage in another trial of
strength on August o. For one Of the two
seats in the Senate Senator \. J. McLaurin had
no opposition, and for the other Senator Her
nando de Soto Money defeated Governor A. II.
Longino by $500 votes to 3G12S
The total vote for Governor-99,3 S5-exceeds
that cast in Mississippi for any Democratic
nominee. save one, in any State or national
election. In 1876 Mr. Tilden polled, or was cred
tied with polling, 1918 votes. OF recent years
elections have been Il farce and the offices have
gone to the Democratic politicians who con-
trOlled the nominating machinery. The ex-
pertinent now being made has apparently re-
vived political interest, and to that extent will
be a stimulus to AIississppis progress. AS Il
novel working out of the theory of direct
troll in party nominations this new mississippi
plan" is also entitled to more than passing pub
lie consideration.