The San Francisco call., 1906-10-29

NM prehenslVe and possibly the
Wv most adequate primary election
law, If at the same time il
is the most cumbersome. The Wis
consin law puts the whole ma
chinery of partisan nominations and
party management into the hands of
the people and the State, SO jealous
were its trainers of the peoples rights
that their efforts to afford the fullest
protection to the voter have resulted
in unwieldiness. The Wisconsin pri-
mary election law, which had its first
municipal trial last spring, and its first
real test in September. when State leg
islative and county tickets were nomi-
mated, leaves nothing to the imagina-
tion In fact, so fully has it covered
every conceivable point that the At
torney General was compelled to detail
one of his assistants to devote his time
to constituting the manifold questions
raised by honest inquirers and captious
critics. Not only the candidates, but
party precinct committeeman, are elect
ed by popular vote
The Wisconsin primary election is
prescribed for the first Tuesday in Sep
tember. In order to secure the best
results in the matter of popular par
ticipation it is generally admitted that
the date Will have to be changed. The
Davidson idea is for holding the pri-
mary election in June. The La Toilette
idea contemplates its postponement un-
til the last Tuesday in September. The
latter seems to be based largely, If not
entirely, upon avoiding the rush season
of farmers gathering their tobacco crops
The former contemplates avoiding the
farmers busy season and also permit
ting the platform conventions to be
held in time to enable more complete
campaign organization. With the plat
form convention meeting two weeks
after the primary election IL the pri-
maries were not held until the last
week in September all the campaign
work, including organization, would
have to be crowded into a single month.
At least sixty days before the pri-
mary election the Secretary of State
must promulgate notice of it and ad-
wise all county clerks what nomina-
tions are to De made in their respec-
tive counties The clerks are charged
with the duty of fully advising the
public by advertising the primary cleo
tion in not less than two nor more than
four newspapers in each county once
each week for six weeks. These ad-
vertisements fully set forth the nomis
nations to be made and detailed infor-
nation as to the manner of making
them.
Filings of candidates, as in Illinois,
can be made only by petition. State
and district filings are made with the
Secretary of State, county and munic-
ipal filings with county or city clerks
The petitions are hedged about with
apparently ample safeguards. No pc
titioner may sign for more than one
aspirant for the same Office and in
signing he pledges his support to the
candidate, who by the terms of the pc
tition is made the electors candidate
Separate blanks must be prepared for
each voting precinct. The signer must
give with particularly his address, and
the petition will not be considered un-
less each signature is vouched for in
the affidavit Of a qualified elector of
the precinct, who must swear that each
signature was affixed in his presence,
that he is personally acquainted with
the signers and knows them each and
all to be qualified primary voters
A candidate for a State Office must
present a petition signed by at ieast
l per cent and not more than 10 per
cent of the voters of his party, and they
must be residents of at least six differ
ent counties. A Congressional candi-
dates petition must be signed in at
least one-tenth of the election pre-
cincts of his district and by not less
than per cent nor more than 10 per
cent of the voters of his party. For
minor offices substantially the same pc
tition requirements are prescribed, but
with ascending ratio OF the per-
centage of voters necessary to secure
consideration of the application cor a
place on the ticket
Filings close twenty days before the
election and to guard against error
sample ballots must be mailed to each
candidate and committee chairman. All
expenses are paid in the manner pre-
scribed for general election expenses,
and the machinery is the same, with