The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-11-28
Passage of New Law Leaves St.
Louis Without Primary
Poll Books.
BOARD PROBABLY WILL ACT.
Election Commissioners Con
fronted With Il Condition That
Requires Legislation to
Straightcn Out.

Politicians who have studied the pro
/ visions of the new election law are dis
cuss;ng the targIe into which the paasaS
of the rev election law has thrown st
Louis primaries.
As the situation row is. there is abso
luteiy 10 law on the bool; which will per
init tho holding OF 4 primary prior tC
the seventh week prior to the next gen
! cCal election. which will be November )
1904
! THE Board of Election Commissioners
! does not know what to do under the cir
I cumstances," said Election Commissioned
John NJ. Wood yesterday. by an over
| sight. there is no provision in the new
| law which anticipates Il primary. There
| is not a registered voter in st. Louis and
cannot be until the registration for the
| general election.
BY the provision Of the Drabelle law.
which was passed in 1901 any man who
wished 10 vote in tie primary must not
only be qualified TO vote In the general
election, but must also be registered in a
separate book to be used for primary pur-
poses alone. This registration. according
10 the Drabellc statute. could be made
at the same time as the registration for
Tie general or city eIectlOnS.
so far the Board of Election CoTnnls-
sioners has not arrived at any conclusion
in the matter. though there has been
much thinking about the difficulty. There
are several impediments. For instance,
If the board decided that it had the power
to use the old registration books. which
could only be done under the emergency
that exists. all of the names in the old
books would have to be copied In new
DEFECTS IN LAW.
Not only that, but they would have
to be rearranged to conform to the new
precincts. which the board must define.
as the new law provides. Under the old,
or so-called Nesbit law, the precincts
were supposed each to have about 400
voters The new law says that the pre-
cincts must have each 800 voters. There
is one precinct In the Twenty-eighth Ward
which has 500 voters. so that instead of
the one poll book for the next primary
there must be three; The work OF copy.
ing the names would he about tne biggest
task that the CLERKS in the board nave
ever undertaken.
THE Drabelle law was framed p,inci-
pally to take away the old mass-meeting
system. The statute covers St Louis and
cannot be superseded by the general law
covering the remainder of the State. 1t
would be possible for the Board of Elec-
tion Commissioners to refer the knotty
question TO the city or State committees
OF the two great parties.and let the law
OF general consent govern.
Something must be done. for the law
provides that no man can get on q local
ticket or go to Il State Convention unless
he s named through primary. II the
result of a primary were called in queS-
ton by the board taking the subject into
its own hands and determining what reg
istration shall apply to the primary, a
defeated candidate for nomina ton might
take the matter Into the courts. where The
equities CT the proposition would have TO
rule.
next year. as this is the custom. All OF
the delegates TO these conventions must |
be chosen prior 10 the application OF the |
new law, which cannot antedate the nine |
.ieth day prior to the election. when the |
irst notices are published in the news
papers.
are devoted to registration. ard this is |
III precinct registration. central registra-
ion having been abolished. except in cases
'i,k 10 appear at the precincts. 1t il
lard problem. but one which must be
ettled in some sort OF fashion,
Politicians who have examined the sub
wo parties will ba allowed to agree on
equations for the primary. Just what eff
ect the tangle will have on the prima-
les Of the two parties to the next State
is problematical. Politics will
IL played H. arriving at a decision as 10 |
he best course. Unless Il new registration
; ordered-Wnich does not seem probable
the present list of names must be used.
On the surface. nothing can alter the
light Of the city committees to determine
THAT sort of a primary direct or a con-
ention-wil he held. Republicans of all
orts and conditions assert that they will
ave no more direct primaries. All that
hey have had have been followed by de-