Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-01-18
MONTOUR'S PART IN
GREAT REFORM

ment ON 1OOt as any OF her big sister
counties of the Commonwealth.
On Tuesday afternoon r. S. Ammer-
man, Montour's Representative, intro
duced a bill in the Legislature at Har-
risburg entitled an Act to Regulate
the Nomination of Public Officers,
Providing for and Regulating the
Holding of Primary Elections and
Furnishing Certain Offenses.in Regard
to such Primary Elections.
Mr.. Ammeman's bill was approved
by Committees of the Democratic SEN
atOrs and Representatives in the Senate
caucus room on Tuesday night. 1t is
a purely reform measure and may
be regarded as a supplement to the
bill introduced by Senator Colpin of
Lackawanna county, which is an Act
Requiring all Candidates and all
Political Party Organizations to File
a Sworn Statement of all Expenditures
in any Campaign and Prohibiting
Corporations or their Agents from Con-
tributing to Candidates or any Politic-
al Organization.
| Both Bills will be argued before the
| Elections Committee ON next Monday
night, Mr.. zimmerman representing
both measures
Below are given few of the many
excellent provisions of Mr.. Ammer-
mans Bill. Section provides that it
shall hereafter be unlawful to be nomi-
mated, or to nominate or put or place
in nomination, any candidate for any
office in this state, to be filled by the
votes of the people, including Congress
men, congressman at-Large, State
Senators and Judges of the several
courts, by, at or in any convention, or
any assemblage of delegates or repre-
sentatives, or in any other way, meth.
cd or manner than is hereinafter
provided; Provided however, that the
provisions of this Act shall not oper-
ate to change the system, commonly
known as the cOnferee system, in con-
gressional, senatorial and judicial dis
tricts consisting of two or more coun-
ties where such systems are now in
force.
Section ,. There shall hereafter be
held annually two primary elections
and no more; one upon the second
Tuesday of January and one upon the
second Tuesday of June, and at such
primary elections all persons seeking
nominations for offices shall be voted
for by the people directly.
1t shall not be lawful for any person
or persons to do or commit, or advise,
or solicit, or assist, or knowingly to
permit another to do or commit any of
the following acts, namely:
Directly or indirectly to give or pro-
mise, or offer to give any money, re-
ward, or other valuable consideration,
or promise of influence or support, to
any person for the purpose of infiuenc-
ing his or any other persons vote at a
primary election.
To threaten any person, or use any
other means of intimidation, in order
to influence or obstruct an electors
vote at any primary election, or to in
terfere with or influence the action of
any election officer in the lawful dis
charge of his duties at such election.
To suppress, conceal, carry away or
destroy the official ballots of any party.
Directly or indirectly to pay any ex-
penses incurred by a candidate, or any
one in his interest, in consideration of
his withdrawal or TO give, offer or
promise any reward, office employment
or support to a candidate or to any
other person in consideration of the
or to procure the with
drawal of such candidate
To act as an election officer when
not duly elected or appointed, or with
out being sworn according to law.
To disclose how any person voted,o
to permit any person not authorized
by law to inspect or learn the con-
tents of any ballot, or TO fail to destroy
the ballots as provided by law.
Knowingly to receive the vote OF a
person not legally qualified to vote at
the place where he offers to vote, or
knowingly to refuse to receive and
count the vote of person qualified to
vote at such place.
Knowingly to receive deposit or
count any ballot or ballots not voted
by a person or persons legally qualifi-
ed to vote.
For any person other than an officer
charged by law with the care of the
ballots. or a person entrusted by any
such officer with the care of the same
for a purpose required by law, or to
have in his possession outside of the
voting room any official ballot, or for
any person to make or have i'll his pos
session any counterfeit of an official
ballot
ANY person committing any OF the
foregoing prohibited acts shall be
guilty of a misdemeanor, and ON con-
viction thereof shall be sentenced to
pay fine of not less than one hundred
dollars and not exceeding five thousand
dollars, or to undergo imprisonment
for a term of not less than one year
and not exceeding five years, in the
or either or both, in the
discretion of the court.
All laws and parts of laws incon-
sistent herewith shall be and the same
are hereby repealed.
Former DauyiIIe | adv Ill.