Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-11-10
THE COMING CAUCUS LAW.

admirably.
] THE COMING CAUCUS LAW.
OF the half-dozen or so measures
introduced relating to control of the
party caucus, covering nearly as many
different plans of wide range, the
special committee has picked out the
simplest and shortest one from the lot,
added a few provisions, altered it in
some particulars and reported it for
favorable action.
! 1t is the so-called Slack bill, intro
duced into the Senate by the senator
from Caledonia county, that serves as
the groundwork. In nutshell, the
measure leaves the caucus mostly in
/ the control Of the party, as heretofore,
with legal regulation as to who shall
/ participate. when the caucuses shall
be held and legal penalties for cor
rupting the caucus. A checklist must
be used, if five per cent. of the voters
so petition, in any town. If they do
not the law does not become operative
in that town. This checklist is made
up by the town clerk from returns
made to him by the listers, who, when
they take the tax inventories in the
spring, secure blythe use OF blanks,
the voters political preferences. The
checklist contains the names Of all
voters who declare themselves, under
the name Of the proper party. The
list is subject TO additions, transfers
ana corrections made by the board Of
civil authority prior to the time for
holding the caucuses. The caucuses
Of the several parties are to be held
separately, but those Of the same party
must be held at the same time. The
oaucuses are to be conducted BY party
committeeman, who will use the pre-
pared checklist. Voting is TO be done
in the old-iashioned simple way, with
out using the Australian system, bal
lots to be furnished by the town, IN
printed unless otherwise requested
twenty-four hours in advance. The
penalty Tor voting in a caucus OF
another party than the voter is regis
tered in, or OF using money 10 pur-
chase votes, is fine of 500 or less.
There will be opposition to this
measure, OF course, as there would be
to any caucus bill that could be offered
Most OF it will be based on the regis
tration provision. 1t will be argued
that taking a voters political prefer
ence in April for an election 20 be
held in September is not in accordance
with the principle OF the secret ballot
and totally subversive of the idea of
independence in politics that it tends
to discourage new political move
ments; that it does not safeguard
sufficiently the right OF every voter to
help nominate the candidates who.
perhaps at the last moment, he intends
to support, etc. Bnt against this may
be urged the little public inconyen-
fence caused by this method OF regis
tering; the careful manner in which
il would be carried out; the eminenily
fair proposition that men who do not
care to he publicly known as affiliat-
ing with certain party should not
seek to direct its action; the elastic
provisions permitting the voter to
change from one column to another
until late moment, etc.
Though it may not answer all re-
quirements, we believe this Slack bill
as modified will serve the pressing
needs Of the state tor caucus regula-
ton in a way at once simple and effec-
tive. The danger has been that some
thing too intricate. expensive and
elaborate would be attempted, which
would certainly fail to satisfy the peo-
pie, who viii not tolerate cumbersome
details when simpler ones would
answer.