Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-03-27
PRIMARY BILL WINS
AMENDMENTS ARE ADDED ON
FLOOR OF LEGISLATURE.
Both Houses Vote Overwhelmingly ir
Favor Of Bill for Nominations by 81
Per Cent of Votes Cast-State Mar
shall Bill Defeated.


Per Cent of Votes Cast-State Mar
shall Bill Defeated.
Des Moines March 26.-On the
first Tuesday following the first Mon
day in June, 1908. the people of the
state of Iowa will have an opportunity
to test the workings of a statewide
primary election law. The bill adopt
ed for that purpose by the general as
sembly is the subcommittee measure,
which has been outlined in these let
tiers, with few material amend.
ments, added to it on the floor of the
legislature AS it goes into effect the
law will apply to all state and county
Offices, to an expression of preference
for United States senators, to presi
Dental and vice presidential electors
to officers of cities of the first class
and to delegates to city and county
conventions.
1t will be plurality nomination
law, but the successful candidate for
any office must secure at least 35 per
tCul vi IllC lOIdi NOtS Noot W
party for that Office. Failing to Sc
cure such a percentage, the nomina
ton will go to the convention, which
is left free to act.
Delegates to the district and state
conventions are to be chosen by the
county convention delegates. but they
need not be from the membership OF
the county convention, as was original
ly provided, an amendment being
adopted which will allow the choosing
of any list of men, the convention
may desire.
Party affilation for the first primary
is to be declared on the day of the
primary by the voter calling for the
party ticket which he desires to vote.
Affiliation for future primaries may
be changed by written declaration
filed with the county auditor at least
ten days before the holding of the
primary, but may be changed on the
day of the primary. with the voter
subject to challenge, and then he
must make oath that the change is In
good faith.
County conventions are given au.
thority to fill all nominations on the
county ballot not made at the primary.
The law was adopted by practically
the unanimous vote of both houses OF
the assembly, the two factions of the
Republican party getting together on
the 35 per cent compromise in lieu of
the straight plurality system of nom
ination, which the original bill pro-
vided. The union thus formed bids
fair to wipe out factional party differ
ences in the dominant party and al
low all it's members to work in har-
mony, which has been lacking for
several years past. 1t is believed the
high percentage of plurality agreed
upon will preserve the state conven
ton system Of nomination in many in
stances, and thus, the leaders declare,
preserve the party organization.
Woman Suffrage Goes Down Again.
In the evening up order of things it
was the senate's turn to kill the WON
an suffrage constitutional amendment
resolution at this session (the house
having killed it last year, and the
duty was performed by that body with
neatness and dispatch on Friday. The
bill was championed by Senator Gale
of Cerro Gordo county, who has been
it's friend for many years, but he was
unable to gather a majority of the
members about his standard He went
down to defeat smiling, with the prom
ise that 1909 would see new intro
duction of the resolution. Mrs. Dame,
the leader of the ,suffragists in Iowa,
who had the bill in charge before the
assembly, declares that at the next
session il will be presented in way
that will demand more attention. She
will start at once on plan OF organ
ization. which will not only look to the
securing of petitions, but will arrange
that hundreds of the best women OF
the state shall come to Des Moines
during the session of the assembly
and present their pleas in a body. She
believes that all the legislators are
locking for now is an ocular demon
stration of the fact that there is
really a demand for this amendment
to the constitution.
Governor Signs Cracker Bill.
Governor Cummins has signed the
OIL anti-frecracker bill, which pro-
hibits the sale in Iowa on the Fourth
of July, or at any time, OF dynamite
explosives, and fire crackers more
than FIVE inches in length and three
quarters OF an inch in circumference.
The bill also prohibits the sale or use
of toy pistols, toy cannons, dynamite
canes and all other dangerous ad.
juncts to the celebration Of the glo-
rious Fourth. II is said Governor
Cummins hesitated for few days re-
garding the signing of the measure,
because it was claimed under its
wording the sale of candy revolvers
and crackers might be stopped, but
he decided at last to take the chance
that these would not be affected.
Harlan Is Honored.
One of the most graceful acts OF
the present assembly was the passage
of the bill appropriating $4,000 for
the placing of bronze statue of form
er Senator James f. Harlan in the
hall of statuary at Washington. ID. c.
The bill for that purpose was passed
through both houses of the legislature