The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-08-08
THE PARTY LAW.

Inc cons pTOylueS tHdl III 90 :
ular elections the voting shall be by bal
lot, but the primary law requires that
the voting In primary elections shall be
viva voce. II we are going to have
a party law It should be obeyed. Inc
States convention declared in favor or
primaries and directed the State Com
rt,ittee 70 promulgate q plan.-Richmond
Times Dispatch.
We take the above from the Richmond
Times Dispatch, whose opinion we high-
~ raspect, but differ with 1t In this case
The State convention. II we rightly re-
member. decided In favor of legallzed
primary election, and directed the State
Committee to have bill prepared tor
enactment, which, had 1t done 30, would
have had our primaries all to vote by
ballot, which both the old and new Con-
stitution would have required.
This recommendation Of the State COM
n,,tteo With the instruction OF the last
State convention before them favoring
the ballot system by virtue OF recon-
mending a law lagalizng the primary
when the Constitution would have required
them to have voted by ballot, was IN
opposition to the intention OF the Cop
stitution and custom of the party for
years to vote by ballot. This action OF
the State Committee had no binding Ell
feet on the counties In their local cleo
tons-with those the counties are free
to do as they deem fredericksburg
Washingtonian Mirror.
The platform adopted by the Demo-
cratic convention which met in the city
OF Norfolk In August, 1901, and which Is
the last declaration of the party on this
subject, contained the following provision:
1--WE declare ourselves as favoring the
principle of the selection Of party can
didates by primary election, believing this
to be the surest method of arriving at
the will OF the people and maintaining
Democratic institutions.
I'VE accordingly DIRECT the State
Central Committee to provide primary
election law for the choice of party call
ddates for the United States Senate and
for all elective State officers, and for
members Of the House of Representatives,
for members Of the General Assembly
and for county and municipal officers,
authority shall deem 1t expedient. And
the party plan of organization in so far
as the same may conflict with any Of the
above requirements is hereby altered to
that extent
This clause was then added: eve furth-
er declare the enactment by the General
Assembly "a law legalzing the prma-
ries to be conducted under the plan herein
provided for. the said plan when adopted
BY the committee to be uniform as 10
method and to require the elections to
be held on the same day throughout the
State districts or counties"
1t will be noted that the convention in
etructed the State Central Committee to
provide primary election plan whether
or not the plan should be legallzed by
the General Assembly. 1t did not In
struct the committee to prepare bill
FOR enactment, as our Leesburg contem-
porary remembers, but simply recon-
mended that the General Assembly enact
a law legalzing primaries.
The declaration Of the convention on
the subject Of primaries was most OK
plict, and the fact that the General AS
sembly has failed thus far to enact n law
legalzins primaries has nothing what
ever to do with the case, and does not
in any way impair the instruction of the
CDHVSnltOH 70 oldle central Com
7nittee.
In accordance with that instruction the
committee at its meeting In the city Of
Richmond on January II. 1902 prepared
and promulgated plan which provides
in terms for primary for the election
of candidates for United States Senators
In Congress, for Representatives, in Con-
gress. for state elective officers, foN
State Senators, and finally for the cleo
ton Of candidates for the House of Dele
gates. And ii declares that "all voting
shall be under what is known as the viva
yoce system, the candidates TO be voted
for directly, and those receiving the high
est number of votes at any of the prl-
mary elections shall be declared 10 be
the party nominees
Such is the party law, and there is
no escape from II. If We are going t.
have q party law it should be observed
in the spirit and In the letter.
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CIT AND COVER TUNNEL