The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-02-11
pERNlCIOUs PRIMARY BILLS

1t seems to us the two primary bills
which have been brought before the
Iowa Legislature are the most dastardly
conceptions that were ever designed to
influence politics and take away the
freedom and secrecy of the ballot.
If that isn't expressing it strong
enough we will have to give the partic-
ulars of these bills in order to show our
readers what they mean.
The bill introduced in the senate by
Senator Crossley provides for primary
elections in all counties and towns of
5000 population or over. Instead of
one party holding it's primary and then
the other one coming after, this bill
makes it necessary for all parties to
hold their primary elections at the
same time, having regular printed bal
lots with the names of all the candi-
dates on them. In this provision there
would be no chance as now for one
party to wait until after the other
had nominated and then take advantage
of the weak spots in the first ticket to
put up better men and turn the slate Of
the political machine over. The design
of the bill is probably to prevent this
very thing, so that in the ninety repub-
lican counties in Iowa the democrats
could not go before the people with a
ticket made up strong in the places
where the republican ticket is weak.
When the, voter asks the Judge at the
primary for a ballot he must specify
what his party atfiliation is and ask for
ticket to correspond with that affilia
tion, either republican, democratic OR
whatever party it is. If requested he
must take oath that he voted with the
party he claims at the last general cleo
tion and in case of perjury the penalty
is as usual for perjury. Then
"at the general election in Novem-
"ber each year the voter must de-
"clare his party utilization and it
twill be made matter of record if
che wishes to participate in the
primary the next spring.
This is the essence of this infamous
bill. Voters will at once recognize the
viciousness of the measure and can see
the attempt it makes to align them per-
manently for one party and make them
stand by any candidates that may be
nominated.
The Australian ballot law was given
us few years ago to make splitting OF
tickets more difficult and guarantee
greater secrecy of the ballot. That
law makes the ballot so secret that a
voter has no right to tell anybody with
in the voting room what candidates he
is voting for. He cannot electioneer in
the room, cannot show his ballot to any.
one and only in case of inability tc
mark his own ballot can he receive help
in voting.
This new measure proposed docs
away with all this secrecy and purity O
the ballot and subjugates the voter al
once to the whims of the party leaders
who can control the primaries which
designate who the party nominees shall
be. The bill wants the voter on RECORD
in the fall when he votes. 1t wants hin
listed again when he helps nominate
the candidate of his party at the prim
aries. 1t wants to keep him from
scratching his ticket and perpetuatt
the party in power.
Talk about the DISTINGUISHING o
negroes in the south; of the debaucher.
of the ballot down there where vote
are thrown out or b'-rned up ant
records suppressed! This is as imam
ously bad and right here in Iowaswher'
80 men out of every hundred can reat
and write we'll.
The law proposed by Representative
English of Polk county in the house o
representatives is a worthy companion
of the measure quoted above. 1t ha
all the bad features of this law with n
more good ones, and is as much entitlel
to the sewer as the other one. We hav
always held too high regardifor MI
English's sense of fairness and patriot
ism to believe he would be even part
to carrying such a scheme through tn
legislature, let alone being one of tn
. originators of the business.
The democrats of the legislature are
unit in the opposition to this measure
They see what it is meant for and kno1
that it restricts the liberties Of the pee
pie. They believe that such LAY
should not be forced by the state upo
any party; that if any party wants t
adopt such structures in the manner {
nominations it ought to have the RICH
and let the other parties alone. If som
counties want to enter into such
system, let the other counties alon
which do not want it. But this woul
: spoil the plans of the designer of tn
bills referred to. If the republicans