Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-03-30
IS AMENDED 70 D[A|A
The Crossley's Second Primary
Bill Thoroughly Emasculated
by Amendments
DEFEATED BY SMALL MARGIN
Lacked Two of Constitutional Ma
jority-No Hope of Primary LesisIa-
ton at the Present Session of the
Legislature standpatters Deter
mined to Kill.
DEFEATED BY SMALL MARGIN
by Ora Williamsl
to Times-Republicar

yesterday killed the Crossley primary
election law No. with the senators
10 some extent reversing the order in
which they voted on the first CrossIey
DILL The vote was "a to 16 and the
senate smiled as 1T awaited the result
which was known to be against the bill
According to the rules and the consti-
tuition every bill must get majority
vote of the membership of the senate
which is 26 votes. The bill got but "a.
Senator Crossley got things DELAYED
little before the vote was announc-
ed He slipped into the cloak room
where several senators were smoking
| IN oblivion to the important bill un-
der consideration, but none would come
out and vote for it. He went out into
the corridor and then asked for the
vote to be verified. While the clerk
was reading the vote Senator Crossley
made other efforts to find two more
votes but it was impossible. President
Herriott stood with the vote in his
hand, but uttered never a word while
the senators with giggles were calling:
louder" When Senator Crossley gave
up in despair President Herriott an
nounced the result of the vote, "a to 16.
which told of the end of primary leg
islation for the Thirty first general as.
sembly.
The Cumnins people generally vot-
ed against the bill or else didn't vote
at all, which counted as against it
and in the arguments and debate shows
ed exactly where they stood that the
bill offered was full of incongruities,
was an abandonment of the primary
principle and would give the people
direct vote on nothing but constables
and township trustees.
The vote was as follows:
Yeas: Bleakley, Courtright, Craw-
ford, Crossley Dowell. punnam. Elel :
lex, Erickson, Gale, Gilliland, Harper.
Hartshorn. Hasselquist Hogue, jack
son, Jamison, Kline, Molsberry, New
berry, Saunders. Stuckslager, Whipple,
Whine. Young of Calhoun-24.
Noes: Brooks, Bruce. Eckles, Garst.
Hopkins Hughes, Jones, Kimmel. Lyons,
Smith of Des Moines, Smith of Usage,
Stfrton. Turner, Wilson of Fayette.
Young. of Lee, Young of Washington
-16
Absent and not voting: Hayward,
Lambert, Lewis. Maytag. Stookey,
Wade. Taylor, Spaulding, Warren, Will
son, of Clinton-1O.
The bill came up under special order
at 10 o'clock yesterday and after the
committee amendments had been
adopted the bill was amended on mo-
ton of Senator Newberry making II
ontional. Senator Dowell got it amend
cd further so that it applied only to
counties of less than $4,000 population
.nd Dnnham got it amended SO
that ON the passing of reso-
luton nv a party convention
there could be secured at the primary
vote on United States senator's ana
state officers. After the amendments
were all made the bill was not perfect
as was afterwards shown. AFTER rhe
vote was taken and the result declared
IT was discovered by Senator Lewis, OF
page. that the bill could not be put into
effect in any county of the state I'LL
1910 The first vote on the proposltlon
could not be secured till this fall. II
the county voted to adopt the law there
conld not he a registration till 1908, ana
after the registration was secured at
General election the next chance to use
The urinary would be at the next cleo
ton which would be in 1910. The pro-
gressive element in the senate IS OF lhe
opinion that it would be better TO let
the question go to the people IN the
elections this year, and allow the legls-
lature of 1908 to determine whether or
not there shall be a primary law. II
could still be put into force as soon.
The discussion Of the measure yes
terday went to the vitals OF the
urinary proposition. Senator Lewis IN
discussing it declared that it was fore
ing onto thirty-nine counties which
now have arranged and are using
primary system of their own, the con-
yention system. He showed that under
this bill, which requires majority Sc
lection. there would be no difficulty in
getting more than two candidates for
every position and hence there would
never be a majority selection and the
nomination would always go to the
convention and the only vote of the
people. in. the primary would be for
township constables and trustees.
Smith. of Mitchell, took the floor and
showed that the selection of candf-
date being always thrown to the con-
yention would ibe no better than the
present methods. He declared that If
thrown to the convention the selection
might result in choosing candidate
for whom but small fraction of the
people were in favor while selection by
a plurality vote would insure the selec-
ton of the person for whom the most
people were in favor.
Senator Crossley talked only briefly
for the bill and said that while the bill
did not meet his wishes he was willing
to compromise in order to get the
principle on the statutes, hoping to get
it amended and strengthened later at
other sessions. He was willing to adj
nit privately that he was in favor of
plurality selection and for making the
primary state wide and for a vote on
all public officers.
Gilliland and Durham each spoke for
the measure. claiming that an optional
bill was the only just measure and
strenuously opposed the plurality Sc
lection.
CORNELL ALUMNI MEET.