The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1907-09-02
WANT FAIR PLAY
In THE PRIMARY
Continued from Page One)

lIoul the CudHStS tHdt we were not
to be given fair play in the primary,
Iand that the committee, by claiming
the power to choose all the aldermen
iand councilmen, were determined to
hold absolute control over the gem
eral council and thus be able, for
the next two years, to dominate and
|enslave the mayor or to balk him in
every important public movement.
Independents shut out.
Section four of these articles pro-
vided that all registered persons not
registered as Republicans who would
support the Democratic ticket should
have the right to vote in the primary.
This gave independents who wish
ed to affiliate with the Democratic
party in the November election a
chance to vote. The Democratic com
mittee, to shut out all 'Independ-
ents" and thus deprive the Demo
cratic party of their final support,
provided in the rules, first, that their
names should not be copied in the
registration books for the use of the
officers of the primary and, secondly,
that they must take an oath before
the election officers to the effect that
they would support the entire,
straight Democratic ticket, state,
county and municipal, etc" Later
the committee omitted the oath, but
required every such voter Ito state
and pledge" that he would do this.
This would be, of course, as obnox-
ious as an oath to self-respecting,
conscientious Independents. however
much they wished to affiliate with
The Democratic party in November
and would force them into the ranks
of the opposition.
Section provided that a commit
tee of three, one of whom should be
Judge James p. Gregory and two of
whom should be selected by leading
candidates, should be authorized to
strike out of the registration list the
name of every person who had been
heretofore fraudulent registered:
and their decision TO be final" In
the rules adopted by the committee
this was changed and II was jro-
yided that the action of this commit
this was changed, and it was pro-
and ratification by the Democratic
city and county executive committee
of Jefferson county" Thus the COM
mittee reserved the right TO nullify
the acts of the commission. In the
amended rules the committee simply
said, in substance, that II was the
sense OF the committee that the ac-
tion of the commission be approved.
This gave the committee stills chance
to override the commission.
Commission Had No Authority in
Court.
In the tenth article 1t was provided
that the commission selected to
purge registration should meet with
the local committee aud assist in re-
ceiving and tabulating returns" of
the primary election This evidently
meant that the commission should
take part in the count to see that all
was fair. In the rules adopted by
the local committee It is simply said
that the commission to purge the
registration lis requested to be pres
ent with the Democratic city and
county executive committee when the
returns are received and tabulated. "
They were to be idle aud helpless
spectators.
Committee Retained Control of
Council.
In the eleventh article IL was pro-
vided that the committee should not
have the power to choose all the al
dermen and oouncilmen. in the rules
adopted by the committee they claim
ed the power to name all the alder
men and councilmen and SO reserved
to themselves the power to control
the general council through men of
their own selection and thus to con-
troll or obstruct the mayor in the per
Torrance of his duty to the people
throughout his whole term of office.
As TO Voting Places.
Ia the twelfth article it was pro-
vided (as the statute provides) that
the voting places should be specified
In the call for the primary, and
should not be changed or moved ex-
.cept as now provided by law. The
selection or removal of voting places
as is well known, is often used to
promote corruption and fraud. In
the call for the primary the commit
tee did not name the voting place.
They have since been named. but