The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-10-10
SPECIAL
SESSION
MEAD WILL CALL ONE II
PRIMARY LAW is IN
VALIDATED.
State Executive Points to Moral
Obligation of Candidates Who
Filed Under Primary Law to OBJ
serve Its Rules and Promises to
Protect Will of People.

Olympia, Oct 5.-When Gov. Mead
learned that a suit had been brought IN
the supreme court by attorneys for the
lieutenant governor, asking that writ
of mandate be issued completing the
state canvassing board to disregard
second choice votes, which would NOM
intae M. E. Hay for lieutenant gov
ernor, and certify the nomination OF
Coon, who received the highest first
choice vote, he gave out the following
interview:
Cali those who filed declaration Of
candidacy for Office before the recent
primary election were fully aware of
the provisions Of the dierct primary
law at that time, and by their action
virtually agreed to be bound by those
provisions Those who sought nOml-
nations to state offices to which the
second choice provisions of the law ap-
piled understood the conditions when
they entered the contest. They made
no public protest against the second
choice provision when they filed their
declaration, and if, by reason OF the
rules of the game, they failed to secure
the nomination, they shuold accept the
result gracefully and retire from the
fight. [ believe that those directly or
| indirectly interested in this suit are
morally obligated to abide by the re-
suit of the primary election and that
the names of the gentlemen who re-
ceived the highest number of first and
second choice votes should appear on
the ballot at the general election i'll
| November
'The direct primary is merely a
substitute for the old convention sys-
tenn. Under it's provisions. instead of
delegating the power to select candi-
dates for the party to few representa-
tives, the people exercise that preroga-
tive themselves. It has been a rule in
all conventions that a candidate must
receive either a majority or two
thirds vote to secure the nomination,
and the second choice provision Of the
primary law was intended to approx
mate that condition. In none of the
cases in the recent primary election
affected by the second choice did the
candidate receiving the highest first
choice vote prove to be the majority
choice of the people.
1t is not my purpose to express an
opinion as to the constitutionality of
any provision of the direct primary
law or of the law as whole. L do
know, however, that the law was
placed upon the statute books because
of an almost universal popular demand
for that method of selecting candidates
and that the results as expressed under
it's provisions at the polls September 8
should be accepted without protest by
all who filed their declarations in time
to have their names appear on the bal
lot. believe that the great majority
of the people are satisfied with the re-
suit and that they do not want at this
eleventh hour names substituted Oh
the ticket through court proceedings
for names that have been placed there
! by the vote Of September 8.
In case the supreme court should
conclude that the second choice provi-
sion is not constitutional and should
issue writ of mandate to compel the
ticket for those that would otherwise
appear, will call an extra session of
the legislature and ask that a curative
act be passed that will carry out the
will Of the people as expressed in the
primary election, such act expressly to
command the secretary of state to place
the names of Samuel G. Cosgrove for
governor, M. E. Hay for lieutenant
governor and w. P. Bell for attorney
general on the ticket.