Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1907-02-06
The Cooper Bill.

Charleston understand how much in
earnest the people are Ill their demand
for the enactment of primary election
law? House bill No. 4, known as the
Cooper bill, provides that thereafter the
members of all state executive com
mttees and county executive committees
OF every political party shall be chosen
and all candidates of political parties TO
be voted for by the people, Except such
as are TO be voted for at special elections
to hill vacancies, presidential candidates
and candidates for offices to be filed by
cities, towns or villages of less than two
thousand inhabitants), and all candi-
dates for the United States Senate
shall be nominated at primary
election held in accordance with this
act
The Cooper bill is a well considered
measure, based apparently upon the
Illinois statue. 1t surrounds the selec-
ton of candidates with all the safeguards
and all the protection accorded by the
laws regulating general elections. In
the interests of good government. If is
more important that our nominating
machinery shodld be so devised as TO
properly protect the people i'm their
power OF choice than that our election
laws should be so constructed. Too often
1t happens under our present system of
nomination that neither candidate is in
any real sense the choice of the peonle
We are too often limited to a selection
of the lesser of two evils.
The Cooper bill provides for all the
details of party organization, recognizes
the responsible position occupied bv par.
ty officials and have them under LEGAL
Obligations of the most stringent charac.
ter. The bill cuts out the old machinery
OF the nominating convention with all
Its opportunities for corrupt maninula.
ton Nobody expects the party boss of
the old school to like the change To the
new system, for he will certainly have
to learn some new tricks if he is to keen
his grip on the political situation under
the operation of the primary law.
Names OF candidates are to be placed
on party ballots by petition alone, and
the form aud character of these petitions
is carefully set forth in the proposed
law. The form of an official urinary
ballot Is prescribed and sample ballot
is printed in the bill. Provision is made
for the canvass of the vote and certif.
cate of nomination by the proper party
authorities, as we'll a. for the Formula -
ton OF platforms and declarations of
I principles.
The expenses of the primary are to be
paid by the county court, the same As
other election expenses are provided for
and paid by general law. This feature
OF law makes It possible for q candidate
to run for office without the backing NJ
a barrel of money Nothing in the ac,
shall bee construed ~ abridge the ri0bt n
any organization or utilization of elector.
not q political party a. defined bv section
one of this act from making nomination.
as they might have done before the mass.
age of this act. Municipal primaries ar.
also provided for and the expenses ar.
TO De- paid Boy the municipality.
The Cooper law, or some simila,
measure has been promised the people
DO VIII evidently go through the House
of Delegates Tine pinch vil come In
the Senate. That body ha. gained Am
uuenN"1.e reputation for side trackipg
J.. ..H