Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-05-08
COST OF PRIMARY.
An Expensive Luxury for the
State and Candidate.

State and Candidate.
If we are to take the figures on
the cost of the primary election
recently held, as given out from
Linn county, as basis for esti-
mates OF the cost to the State of
Oregon we certainly will deal
with big figures. The following
article from Albany is worthy of
serious consideration:
Costing almost a dollar for
every vote cast in Linn county,
the direct primary law has proved
one of the most expensive luxu-
ries the voters of this section have
ever enjoyed. The County Com
missioner's Court, which today
completed it session, audited and
allowed claims against the coun-
ty, charged to the election ac-
count, which aggregated 81, 716
and the end is not yet. Bills
always come in for nearly a year
succeeding every election, for
work, supplies and incidentals.
It is estimated that when these
are all paid the total will run
from ST, 800 to 81, 900.
In the primary election in
Linn county there were polled
but 2o86 votes. Figuring upon
the cost, nearly a dollar a vote,
many are inclined to think the
law is a luxury--that it is not
really necessary, or worth the
expense. Others favor the law.
Opinion is divided in Linn coun-
tv, but many people who favored
the law before the primary elec
tion, thinking it would get out a
more representative vote, are
open in their disapproval.
The majority of votes were
cast in the towns, where people
could visit the polls aud vote il a
few minutes. In city precincts
votes did not cost the county a
dollar each. But when the re-
turns from a large number of
country precincts were inspected
many were found where but 8 to
20 votes were cast and an expense
bill of $40 had to be paid by the
county.
Under the direct primary law
the result was about the same as
under the old convention system,
only it costs more. Farmers
worked in their fields on election
day, but all preparations had to
BE- made and all the expenses of
an election paid, whether votes
were cast or not, and the aggre-
gate cost is large enough to
make many advocates of the
direct primary law in Linn
county doubt its value.
Of the expense bills, $1223
was for jud ges and clerks, $3o8
Tor prin ing, and the remainder
for putting up booths, dissriout-
ing boxes, etc. All this money
was paid by Linn county.
When the bills paid by the state
for Linn county, which must be
met by the taxpayers the same as
those assessed directly against
the county, are in, the expenses
of direct primary election in
Linn county will be one of the
big items of the biennial budget.
The expenses that must have
been paid incurred by the candi-
dates for nomination under the
direct primary law add to the
burden. Every candidate was
forced to make pretty thorough
canvass in Linn county, where
he had an opponent, and that
occurred in most instances on
the republican ticket. At the
close of the primaries candidates
complained that the expenses
of the primary campaign had
been so heavy that they could not
make the campaign they would
like for the general election.
The first idea of the primary
election to taxpayers of Linn
county became known TODAY
when the court finished auditing
expense bills.