The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1907-09-19
ATKINSON ON
PRIMARY LAW
Answers to Inquiries That Are Com
ing Into His Office in Large
Volume.

Volume.
| SEATTLE. Sept. 1S.-Attorney
General John D. Atkinson arrived in
the city yesterday to confer with J..
u. Alexander, assistant attorney gen.
eral. Mr.. Atkinson says that his Of
fee is receiving large volume OF
: inquiries from different parts of the
state concerning the direct primary
Law, enacted by the legislature.
The people, including politicians.
appear to be well satisfied with the
primary law. confident that in its
operation it will prove successful as
any primary law in other states, !"
he said.
''As the time for the municipal
elections OF December and early
spring draws near, great many
questions are coming up in the minds
of the people as to the extent of ecr-
tain provisions of the law. An in
quiry came to me few days ago
| from an official at North Yakima, a
city of the third class. where party
| lines of the dominant political par
ties do not seem to nave been recent
ly drawn in municipal elections, ex-
! planning that last year there We're
two municipal parties, one having a
ticket called the peoples ticket ana
lthe other the Citizen S ticket. lie
states that a great many of the citi-
hu
! non-partisan way, so far as city cleo
tions are concerned, and the Official
asks whether or not those tickets can
be legally put forward under the pro. j
visions of the primary law.
1T would seem that there is no
good reason why these two tickets
cannot be again placed upon the ball
lot, either with or without dominant
political parties placing tickets In
the field The law provides that
any, sort of ticket. of whatever
name. may be placed in the field or
during the previous year, it had re-
Iceived 10 pei. Eecals of tlae rs-iliar
votes of the municipality, eosntF or
ctate.
Another inquiry made by the
same official, is if a candidate for
municipal Office which has no salary
attached thereto, is required to make
a deposit of a fee with his declar-
alton of candidacy.
Section 5 provides that when a
candidate files his declaration it shall
be accompanied by fee. which fee
shall be $40 for any Office with SAL
airy or compensation attached OF
81 900 or less per annum, and when
such salary or compensation exceeds
81 900 per annum, an additional
sum of / per cent. of such excess.
1T seems clear from the above
provision that it would only be fair
to construe this law literally. ana
that where an Office has no salary
the candidate should not be compeH-
ed to pay the fee. 1t would not seem
proper to compel man to pay the
state or municipality any money for.
the privilege of holding ofica. when
such Office carries no salary or COM
pensation of any kind.
Il understand this matter was
discussed by members OF tie legi-
lature when the law was before that
body and that this was really the
intention of the lawmakers.
AN inquiry received by from an
official of Bellinsham states that he
expects TO be Ca adidate for re-
election and that in looking over the
primary law he Is in doubt as to
what he would be allowed to do in
the mater of expenses of his candi-
dacy.
He states that heretofore he and
other eandida-es have been in the
habit OF distributing personal cards,
with Instructors printed thereon
how to vote for him, and that on
election day it was the custom to
have a man al each polling place
distributing cards, setting forth the
facts as to bis record and talking
for him. These men were paid a
days wages. He wanted to know
las to whether the attorney general
is of the opinion that this can be
continued under the new primary
law
In looking over the new law il
would seem that there is nothing 10
prohibit candidate from employing
such means for getting votes and to
spend all the money he desires in
that way, providing he Is willing to
make an affidavit, after he is nom
mated, as TO the amount OF money
he has personally expended in bis
own behalf '-P. /.
RralizeS H;s Wish.