Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-08-29
Probable That Neither Haugen
Nor Smith Will Seek Sen
atorial Position
NEW SUGGESTION FOR PRIMARY
Idea Offered to Designate Republicans
by Number of Candidates Voted for
on Ticket-Bar to Democratic Votes
on senatorship a Difficult Prob
Iem-GeneraI News.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican.
Des Moines, Aug. 29.-Attorney Cen
eral Byers said today there is no ques-
ton in his mind but that Representa-
tive Bergeron, of Palo Alto county, is
not entitled to seat in the special ses-
sion, because of his removal to Sioux
City. He understands Bergeron moved
his family to Sioux City and has voted
there.
The suggestion is being made today
that the legislature amendment to the
primary requires the vote for a certain
percentage of the republican ticket, say
two-thirds, in order for a vote on sem
ator to count, not designating what Of
ficers.
1t is reported today as sure that
neither Haugen nor Smith will be a
candidate and that the chances are
favorable that Lacey will be the stand
pat candidate for the senate.
Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Aug. 29.-Some politi-
clans are predicting that the extra
session of the legislature will not be
able to agree upon the amendment
to the primary election law inside of
thirty days. That the form by which
G To ho n n "a
root of the elections question every
one admits. However, when men are
agreed it doesn't take long to do things
and it may be that the members of the
| legislature will be of one mind on the
amendment. 1t is quite certain that
the entire question will turn on the
matter of how to restrict the voting
on senator to the republicans.
The assumption is being made in some
quarters that both factions have agreed
that the method to be adopted should
be to count no votes for the nomin-
alton of republican United States
senator unless the ballot showed that
the voter had voted the straight re-
publican ticket from presidential elec-
tor down to legislator. This is not
true. Governor Cunmins told the con-
ference he favored a rigid requirement
so that democrats could not participate
but he did not say what form he
thought this requirement should take.
The idea of limiting it to those voting
ho CIV ioh finlxof icrip OF o1 wifi h
Congressman Smith and was sprung
on the conference by Senator Dolliver
after conference of the standpatters
in the Chamberlain and a conference
of the congressional delegation at the
Savery.
| Ut is not known, of course, what the
legislature will do on the amendment
when it gets together, but those who
are in favor of including in the re-
publican ranks those who work with
the republicans and vote for all re-
publican nominees not known to have
gotten their nomination dishonesty, or
are known not to be dishonest them
selves or to be representing the cor
porations under the cloak of serv-
ing the people, are making the claim
that the trend in election matters for
many years has been against any such
a construction as the standpatters have
devised. They are claiming that the
bosses never so easily. controlled poll
tics as in the old days before the Aus
tralian ballot when the citizen had to
vote the republican ticket straight or
the dem ocratic ticket straight, and his
only choice was between the two when
often times there was no difference
except in the names of the candidates
The Australian ballot with all party
nominations printed on the same bal
lot with its provisions of secrecy got
away from this. The whole question as
to the amendment to the primary cleo
tion law is this:
"Can man be a member of a polit-
ical party with a right to help select
it's nominees and still scratch his bal
lot, and if so to what extent can he
scratch the ballot and still be mem
Der of the party?"
There are all shades and degrees of
answers to the question. In connection
with the task in hand for the legisla-
ture there are those who are saying
that some standpat congressman and
other officials who fear the wrath of
the people are anxious enough
to have Delivers idea accept
ed in the hope that it
will help them thru as we'll as make it
easier, as they think, to defeat Cum
minis. BY providing that for vote on
the senatorial nomination to count the
voter must vote her straight" from
the top down to and including legisla-
tive nominees, there will be some en-
thusiastic Cummins voters who will
vote it straight" just in order to have
their votes count on senator. These the
standpat nominees think will be a
clear gain to themselves. On the other
hand they hope that there will be
many thousands of republicans who
will be willing to lose their vote for
Cummins for senator rather than
swallow the republican ticket straight.
In that way they hope to give it to