The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-01-25
WOULD AMEND
ELECTION LAW
Senator Carl Badger to intro
duCe Bills Eliminating Du-
pIication of Tickets.
QUESTION AROSE LAST FALL
AMERICAN" PARTY ENDORSE
mENTs RESPONSIBLE.

-erator Carl a. Badger OF Salt Lake VIII
,,+r7dure today in the senate bills di-
tod AGAINST the duplication of ballots
ss different tickets. The proposed amend
,,snts provide that no ticket may be du-
rlicated by petition OF any number OF
tors and that the mere changing Of the
enc of party or the emblem without
.Ts7ginE the name of the candidates viii
nof constitute sufficient reason for put
+irv another ticket on the ballots.
Another amendment to the election laws
~ he introduced today makes ii clear that
snv candidate for any office, endorsed by
otber parties. may withdraw as a candi-
Jsfe from any Of the tickets on the bal
1ot without Withdrawing from all Of the
me situation which arose at the election
Of last fall prompted the introduction Of
these measures. At that election there
vrare to begin with. four parties having
candidates for national offices on the bal
fof the Republican, Democratic, Socialist
and Independence parties The "Ameri-
an party had a state. judicial, county
and city ticket in the field.
In order that the members OF the
American" party might have the OpPOr-
tunity TO vote for presidential electors,
Two other parties were organized, known
as the Bryan National and the Taft Lib
erai parties. On the Bryan National tick
et were placed the names of the Bryan
and Kern electors and the American
candidates for state, judicial, county and
civ offices. On the Taft Liberal ticket
were placed the Taft and sherman cleo
Tors and the names of the American
candidates for other offices. Thus there
we're three tickets in the field, the Amer
icsn.~ the Bryan National and the Taft
Liberal containing the same names as
candidates for office with the exception
o. the candidates for presidential electors.
Duplication of Tickets.
The candidates on the American" par
~ ticket were regularly nominated at
conventions of American party voters.
The candidates on the Bryan National and
Taft Liberal tickets were placed there by
petitions signed. for the most part by
American party voters. The present
law permits the placing of candidates on
the ballot by any political party receiving
more than per cent of the total vote at
the previous general election, and il also
permits the nomination Of candidates by
petition signed by d number of qualified
voters
Following this law the American par
u placed three tickets in the field, one
by convention and two BY petition, trlpli-
eating the ticket nominated in couven-
ton. With these three tickets and those
OF the four national parties. the voting
machines in use in Salt Lake and Weber
counties were filled TO capacity. Had
there been one more ticket in the field,
the voting machines would have been In
Na4lGahfG- ana IA M0Ala nave OEtl uclES-
sary TO use the old paper ballot system
Senator Badgers amendments still give
the people the power TO nominate by pc
titiOn. out make it impossible to duplicate
tickets by petition. One political party,
entitled to a place Oh the official ballot
by virtue of It's vote at the last general
election may endorse any or ali of the
nominees Of another political party, but
these nominees. OF any of them. may not
be endorsed by petition and placed on The
ballot under another name or another en-
bem.
To Clarity the Law.
Ou the filing Of the nominations FOR Of
flee with the secretary of state. the Taft
electors almost Immediately sent in with
draWals from tho Taft-Libersl ticket
The American" party protested against
this withdrawal. dcci airing that under the
law any candidate for office could not
withdraw as candidate for any one poiit-
icai party without Withdrawing his name
from all Of The tickets on which it ap-
peaTed. The question was thTeshed out
In the courts. and finally it was decided
hv the supreme court Of the state that any
candidate had the right TO decline a NOM
nation, or to withdraw as a candidate OF
any party, without Withdrawing his name
from all Of the tickets nominating him.
The law. however. IS not absolutely
clear on the question and in order that
there may be no doubt in the future OF
this right Sens tor Badger will introduce
an amendment in which this right is spe-
officially given.