The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-01-29
A Plan for LOCALIZED Primary
Elections.

Editor OF The Times-Dispatch:
Sir,-The Governors message on the
subject of primary elections Is timely ard
forciblc. Public conscience and inteli-
gence demand the best possible system
of nominating candidates for Office Mass
meetings and conventions are doomed as
means of satisfying the people. The
principle of primary elections is thor
oughly democratic. The party primary
Is better than the party convention, but
we need form of primary which is
nearer in harmony with an ideal re-
public.
non-partisan primary election law
is the one thing needful to secure the
best results. Such law can be framed
so as to treat all parties and individuals
with perfect fairness. All prospective
candidates for office should be required
to submit their claims to the non-pardsan
primary election. Democrats, Republi-
cans, Pro!ibitonists. Socialists, indie
pendents, etc, should enter the same
primary. which. as far as applicable
should be conducted precisely as regular
elections are conducted. OF course, de-
fects in the regular election law should
be remedied.
To simplify matters and reduce ex-
| penses. no names should appear on the
primary ballots. Print only the offices
to be filed, with blanks for the names
of candidates voted for. This would con-
sumo less time and give less cause for
mistakes in canvaSsing the vote at closc
of election.
For tbs information OF voters, each
candidate for nomination should have
MS name printed on n legal poster or
circular, so as to show for what Office he
is candidate. These posters or clrcu-
lars should be for free distribution among
the voters at least ten days before the
primary election To provide for such
free distribution, all candidates should
be furnished at cost price with as many
copies rs they may desire Copies of
these circulars should be posted in each
voting booth. Party candidates could be
indicated by some accepted word or sign
preceding or following the names
Persons unable to write the names OF
candidates should have the assistance
OF one choice election officer in prepar-
ing their ballots,
In non-partisan primary election 1t
VIII be necessary to provide for the
nomination of two candidates for each
office to be filled at the regular election.
In the primary the two candidates re-
ceiving the largest number OF votes for
a particular office. should be declared
the legal nominees for said office. When
two or moro persons are to DO elected to
the same official rank, there may be twice
as many legal nominees as there are per-
sons to be elected. Thus, where one
county or district is entitled to three
Officers of equal rank. there may be six
legal nominees 1br such Official rank,
these six persons having received tho
largest number OF votes in the primary.
The foregoing suggestions outline a sim
pie. Impartial and economical plan for a
ncn-partisan primary election. All par
ties and individuals would have fair
showing. II two men OF the same party
secure the nomination for the same Of
flee. each will stand on his own personal
merits at the regular election. II two
men OF different parties are nominated
for tile same office, the public loses moth
ing, In either case the participants In
the primary are free to vote us they
please in the regular election.
Party primaries and conventions tie the
hands of all who take part in them. This
fact keeps many conscientious voters
from taking part in nominating candi-
dates for office. The exclusion OF these
good people from participation In prl-
inaries and conventions Is. however ex-
aetly what come political tricksters wish