Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1906-01-18

THE SOUTH DAKOTA CAMPAIGN.
The South Dakota republican slate
convention, called to meet at Sioux
Falls on June 3, the date designated by
the new election law, will be attended
by some features novel in South Dako-
Ia politics. 1t will mark the te?mina-
tion OF the first political campaign ia
which the state will have taken note OF
the proceedings prior to registering
and polling the vote for the election.
Under the new law the state has taken
charge OF the caucuses and the con-
ventions to some extent. Caucus and
convention dates are fixed by law and
the apportionment of delegates to the
state convention also is taken out of
the hands OF the committees. At the
caucuses the state has undertaken TO
guarantee every voter chance TO vote
along party lines for delegates to
county conventions Incidentally 1t
has undertaken to guarantee that a.
member OF one party shall not attempt
to share in the naming of nomineesNof
another party. Under the new law the
snap caucus and the packed caucus will
become things of the past. In effect
South Dakota has applied the primary
principle TO preliminaries to the
county conventions. AS the conven-
tions also have been recognized by
law, officers and delegates will in a
way be responsible legally for their
actions there. The freedom of con-
ventions in exercising choice between
candidates is not in any way affected.
Although the last legislature re-
jected the proposal to apply the princi-
pie of direct nominations TO ali offices,
the republican state committee has in.
formally taken step in that direction
with reference to the Office OF United
States senator. The committee, by
unanimous vote, has recommended
that the state convention shall indorse
a candidate for United States senator
and that the republican members of |
the Legislature shall consider this in
dorsement as instruction to vote for
that candidate. The recommendation |
oil the state committee is in no way |
binding upon the state convention,
which can decide al questions for It.
self. Neither need the legislature feel |
under any legal obligation to ratify the
choice OF the state convention, II choice
shall be expr essed. Under the con-
stitution, the selection of United !
States senator is function which can
not be taken away from the legislature. |
When the time comes the members of |
the legislature will be free to use their
own judgment in the acceptance OF ad-
vice rendered by any party gathering. |
Practically, however, the plan OF max. |
ing convention nominations for United |
States senator has been used success.
fully in other states. Only recently |
Senator Burkett, of Nebr aska, went
into office by that route, delegates to
the state convention voting the prefer
ences expressed by the county conven-
tions, and the republican majority in
the Legislature accepting the nomina-
tion made by the state convention.
Practically, the scheme brings the
nomination Of United States senator
about as close to the voters as it could
be brought in any other way, though
it lacks the legal certainty that would
be found in the provisions OF a state
primary law. The contest in South
Dakota this year is to be a clear cut
issue between two republican candi
dates Senator Gamble and Represen-
tative Martin. The issue will be in
evidence at all the caucuses. The
voters at the caucuses can select their
delegates to the county convention
with a view to their preference on the
senatorship. The delegates can be in
structed for one candidate or the
other. The county conventions, in
selecting delegates to the state con-
vention, can anne their delegates with
a view to similar preferences and can
bind the delegations with instructions.
In this way the individual preferences
Of the voters are likely to work out
with the same accuracy as If they were
recorded IN a general primary making
a direct nomination.
The unanimity with which the state
committee has recommended the
adoption Of this plan In South Dakota
would seem to indicate that there is
believed to be no factional advantage
il it. # the new system Of state reg
ulation OF the caucuses works as well
as expected there should be no ground
for complaint on either side over the
result 6toaG City Journal