The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-09-29
BY j. C. Crawfor6

chairman o. such subcommittee
should be elected by its members from
among its number. 1t should he the
duty OF such Subcommittee to examine
the afiGavits and accounts and see
that no provision of the law has been
violated or evsdcd- IL should hav1
power TO summon Witnesses TO testify
before II and false swearing before IT,
either in oral testimony or the re
quired affidavits, should be punishable
as perjury No nomination should
be declared until the subcommittee TO
whom the accounts of the candidates
for given office have been referred
has submitted a favorable report
thereon.
All contributions TO campaign funds
should be limited to $1,000 and the
candidate required TO make public the
names of the contributors and the
amounts contributed
No candidate for a state or federal
Office should be permitted to spend
more than the amount of the salary
of the office sought for one year No
candidate for any county Office should
be permitted to spend more than
81 900.
The only effective penalty for viola
ton OF the above provisions is forfeit
ure OF the nomination if otherwise en-
titled thereto.
Length of Ballot.
Another population objection, more
easily remejied, is that the primary
ballot is too long to be voted iDtelli-
gently by the average electOT.
Like almost all reforms, the primary
has been abused and its usefulness
greatly diminished by a class of peO-
pie, aptly described as cheap poll
ncians", who seek personal agSran-
diZement rather than the accomplish
ment of any real benefit to the people
Extreme Tadicalism, such as has over
buTdened the primary ballot and cf-
fectuaIly rendered impossible of at
tainment the very object for which it
was inaugUrated. is as surely oisas,
trous on the one hand as extreme con-
Servajism is dangerous on the other
Judges of supreme. circuit and Grim
inal courts should not be nominated
by popular vote. neither should the
adiutant general or the state chemist.
because their duties are technical and
experience proves that more efficient
men can be selected in other ways.
Presidential electors should also be
taken out of the primary. The posi-
ton, in Florida, is an empty honor;
no interest is manifested in their Sc
lection, and they are a burden to the
ballot For reasons set out hereafter,
supervisors of registration should also
he taken out and appointed by the gov
ernor without recommendation of any
political organization Further, in the
process OF elimination. il is absurd to
burden the ballot with the names of
candidates who are so fortunate as
TO have no OPPOSITION. Delegates to
national conventions and the national
committeeman should also be elected
in some other manner than by popular
vote. -,-.,--,.,,,.,- court
Judges and presidential electors, be-
cause they are elective offices must be
provided for by some recognized 20
litical organization, and the election OF
delegates to national conventions and
the national committeeman similarly
provided for because they are strictly
party positions. All the other offices
mentioned above are apointive, and
mere recommendation 10 the governor
by A partizan or .nOn-partizan body is
sufficient
\ plan suggests itself for the seIec-
ton Of judges of our supreme. circuit
and criminal courts, which will doubt
less appear TO many, at first blush q
very radical departure from methods
now in vogue. ] am convinced. how
ever. that its careful study viii reveal
its wisdom. We have a well organ
lied state bar association of high
standing. with coordinate branches in
each judicial circuit. and doubtless
every county having q criminal court
of record has a similar association.
For the purpose here the circuit and
county associations may be considered
as separate and distinct organizations
The plan Is TO have the circuit and
county associations, by a majority
vote of their members in good stand
ing, recommend circuit and criminal
court judges TO the governor for ap-
pOintment, and the state bar associa-
ton recommend supreme court Judges
TO a proper nominating body The
last mentioned recommendation would
be as binding upon such nominating
body as a primary election is upon a
Legislature to elect its nominee to the
United States As a rule the best law
yers have the largest practice. When
a lawyer is elevated to the bench his
practice is scattered among those who,
under this plan. select him. self
preservation is the first law CT nature"
We should elect represent alive men
men who are students Of govern
mental queStions-as delegates to ma
tional conventions and national COM
miteemen- Only in this way viii We
De dDie 70 claim Jne national TecOg-
milton TO which we are justly entitled
So few Of our citizens interest them
selves In these officers that ii is i'm
possible TO select such men by popular
vote
Two questions now arise LIST, can
we give binding force to the recon
mendations of the bar associations
and End, what provision shall be made
for proper nominating body2
1st- We now exact a promise from
the governor Cbefore his nomination.
TO appoint the nominee of our primary
elections Exact p similar promise 10
the nominees of the bar asso-
Citations. 1t will be equally As bind
ing \ promise can be as convenient
" exacted from candidates for MEM
oership in the nominating body men
TONED to nominate the man recon-
by the State Bar Association