Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1905-10-27
PRIMARY LAW
MAKES TROUBLE
Time For Filing Nominations Is
Past and no Primary Election
Can Be Held.

The city charter says Grants Pass
shall have municipal election on
Monday, December l. Under the
new primary election law the primary
election for this city will have to be
held 80 days prior to the regular
election which would be ON Saturday,
November 1. The law also provides
that nominations for this primary
election shall be by petition and that
these petitions shall be filed with the
city recorder not less than 10 days be.
fore the date of the primary election.
A further requirement is that the re.
coTder shall give 80 days notice of the
primary election. This Recorder ].
Nj. Booth, through an oversight. fail
ed to do, so no nominations have been
made and none can now be made as
the time for filing them expired on
October Goth.
The city attorney, the recorder, the
mayor and the councilmen have betu
wrestling with the problem this v eek
since the dilemma was discovered, but
no plan of procedure has en- agreed on.
Some of the local attorneys hold that
legal If the notices were posted even
but a few days before the election and
the election held as usual, the COM
mon law not depriving the voters of
their rights through the negl gence of
some official The election law pro.
vides that candidate may be nomi.
mated by petition after the primary
election and it also provides that a
candidate can be voted for whose
name is not on the ballot, tire law re-
curing that blank places shall be left
on the ballot for that purpose. As
the law cannot now he fully conform
ed to in holding the primary election
that could be passed by aud candi.
dates nominated by petition for the
regular election in December. Under
ordinary circumstances the validity OF
the election would not be questioned.
but should bond issue be made OF
some similar transaction serious
trouble might follow.
At the December election a mayor
and five Of the eight counoilmen will
be elected, three councilmen holding
over, all the other city officers being
appointive. In addition to successor
to Mayor George Good, successors
will be elected to Councilman W. M.
Hair in the First ward; Councilman
L. W. Williams in the Second ward
Councilman Will O. Smith aud Il. W.
Chausse in the Third ward and
Councilman 4. Y. Dean in the
Fourth. A go out by expiration of
their terms except Councilman
Chausse, who was elected in August
by the council to I'LL the vacancy
made by the absence OF Councilman
Cas-. As appoinive officers can only
hold until the next general election
the Third ward will ha two coun.
ci linen to elect, one for two year
term and one for one year term.
None of the outgoing officials have
expressed desire for election, but
friends of each say that they shall
have the nomination If they will ac-
oept it. A strong sentiment is favor.
ing the reelection of Mayor Good as
an endorsement of the clean, vigorous
administration he has given the
city. In the First and Second wards
movement Is now under way to sc.
cure the reelection of Councilmen
Hair and Williams. In the Third and
Fourth wards no announcement has AS
yet been made in regard to candidates,
but no doubt there will be Candidates
in plenty.