Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-01-11

county and fighting for delegates in every
precinct in the state. This means a very
large personal expense, Under a practi-
cal primary law he a be required to pay
to the state or county q comparatively
small fee at the time of filing his nominal
ing petition and this will entitled him,
without further expense. to have his name
printed upon the primary election ballot,
and to have that ballot placed by a nom
partisan judge into the hands of every
voter at his party primary in every voting
precinct in the county, district, or state,
as the case may be, and to have every
vote cast for him honestly ounted and
returned, the expenses OF delivering the
ballot boxes, receiving the votes, canvass
ing and making returns, all being paid by
the county and state.
This IN itself saves the candidate a large
expense. The primary law should be fol
lowed by a law restricting the expendi-
ture of money for campaign purposes be-
fore primaries as well as before general
elections, so as to prevent the extravagant
and corrupt use of money in such cam
paigns. In this way all reasonable OBJ
j~ectionS as to expense can be obviated.
AS to minority nominations and num-
Der Of candidate:
Under the provisions of the primary laws
of Pennsylvania, Oregon and Wisconsin,
name printed upon a primary election ball
lot, he shall, at least thirty days, (or some
other specified period, before the primary
is held, file with some designated public
oiliSSI q IlOIIiilldtluS pttitlOH uuly SlSutu
by a specified number Of voters OF his par
ty, (thel number being sufficient to show
that he has a following large enough to
make him a material factor in the con-
test. This provision tends to prevent the
REMEMBERING OF the ticket with the names
of candidates who ave no appreciate
following. A further provision might be
added fixing a fee TO be paid by the can
didate to the county or state at the time
OF ming his nominating papers, TO be used
towards paying the expenses of the prim-
airy, ranging from $50 for candidate for
congress, United States senator and COVER
nor, down to 81 for county justices of the
peace, the amount to be governed by the
amount OF salary connected with the Of
flee. The payment Of such a fee would not
be at all burdensome or unfair to any
candidate strong enough to be considered,
and would, to a considerable extent, re-
lieve the county and state of the expense
of holding the primary,
Where only two candidates are contest
ing for a nomination, the candidate re-
ceiving the highest number of votes will,
OF course, receive a majority and be nom
mated; where three or more candidates
are contesting for a nomination the law
should provide that the candidate receiv-
ing the highest lumber OF votes and not
less than one-third of the total vote cast
for all the candidates, should be the nomi-
nee. Delegates to a county and state con-
vention should be selected at the primary
by direct vote and such conventions should
be given the power to make party plat
forms in connection with the candidates
and committeeman chosen by direct vote,
and the power to make nominations from
among the candidates whose names were
submitted TO the primary in cases where
the candidate receiving the highest num-
Der of votes did not receive 80 per cent.
of the total vote cast for all the candi-
dates.
To require a candidate to receive a ma
jority of all the votes cast for all the can
didates would defeat the object of the
primary, because it would enable the ma
chine maniDIlatOr TO bring 0Ht enough
''faVorite sons as local candidates to pre-
vent a strong candidate before the people
from receiving a majority over all, and
to defeat him by having the matter
thrown into a convention where the cards
could be more easily manipulated.
The making of a ballot is a very i'm
portant thing, but 1t is no more so than
the casting Of a ballot. In all our cleo
tons the candidate receiving the highest
number of votes is elected and installed
into the office. This is true even though
he receives only a minority of less than
one-third of the total vote cast. A rule
which for years has successfully prevailed
in elections, will not be unfair if applied
TO nominations by primary election. At
any rate, In. cases where there are three
or more candidates, one should be sue
cessful If he receives the highest number
of votes cast for any one candidate, and
not less than one-third Of the total vote
cast for all the candidates for the same
office in the primary of his party. A care
fully drawn law covering the above points
Wall dIlSWCl lie oDJCSliOll lila ~
be too many candidates and that the sue
cessful candidate may not have a suffl-
cient Endorsement to entitle him TO the
nomination and a provision therein pro-
viding for a convention to take part in
making the party platform and to make
nominations in cases where no candidate
has received a third of the total vote,
will prevent diSintergration and decrease
in party interest.
AS TO voters Of an opposition party as
sisting In making nominations and after
wards voting against the nominees:
Each party should have its separate
primary ballot, and when a voter asks
for a ballot, he should be required to
name in a distinct and audible tone OF
voice, the political party OF which he is
a member. Each party should be requir-
ed to furnish official challengers, and in
case Of q challenge, the voter should be
required to make oath that since prior to
the last general election he has, in good
faith, been a member of such q party and
a believer in it's principles, and that ne
intend in good faith TO support the
candidates nominated by 1t at the prim-
aries in which he is participating. Severe
penalties should be imposed for the pun
ishment of member of one political party
who vote or attempt to vote the primary
ticket Of another. With proper safeguards
Of this kind, there will be less voting OF
this character at the direct primaries than
there is now at party ~caucuses.
Al TO the objection that In making nomi-
nations for county offices, the country will
be denied fair Representations:
County nominations by direct primary
until the caucus law of two years ago was
enacted had been voluntarily adopted by
the dominant party and maintained in
Hughes. Hyde, Beadle and Codington
counties for years. Several times the ques-
ton was submitted to the voters in one
or mere of these counties whether they
should not abolish the primary and re-
turn TO the convention. In every such
case. a decided majority was in favor of
retaining the primary. The law, however,
can easily contain a provision giving to
each county the option to decide by a pop
ular vote whether candidates for county
offices should be nominated in such coun-
Nv where the large towns are disposed to
take more than their share of the offices
under the direct primary, should that ever
be the case, the option to suspend the APP
plication of the law in that county as to
county nominations and to make such
nominations by convention the delegates
to the same being elected by vote at the
primary election. All of these objections
go TO some matter of detail which legis-
lation can obviate. No objection to the
Fundamental principle involved in the
primary will stand for a single moment.
The duty is upon you, gentlemen, with all
the light and assistance you can get, to
formulate and enact a practical and COM
prehensive primary election law. 1t
should be made effective by an emergency
clause, because it's enactment has been
demanded from authoritative sources with
out conditions. Nearly 9,C00 of your con-
stituents petitioned for its enactment and
submission two years ago. It's enemies
were ODpOSed 10 submission then This