The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1909-01-21
DIRECT PRIMARY IN HOUSE.
First Republican Measure Bearing On
Campaign Issues Is Introduced.

the lower house OF the legislature. /,
was presented yesterday by Represen.
tatives Woodward, Parsons and Adkin.
son, and possesses the advantage oil
succeeding the Davis-Day bill in the
senate and profiting by any mistakes
which may have been included In the
earlier document constructed by the
minority.
There are three salient features in
the Northumberland mea-
sure, which has been titled house bill
No. Is. These particular sections dis
tinguish 1t from the law as 1t exists in
any one state, and with one exception
are selected here and there from the
laws as they are enforced In several
states. The proposed enactment con-
tains provision taken directly from
the Wisconsin statute and conceived
by LaFollette himself, requiring that
all party conventions shall be held on
the same day at the state capital. The
significance of this is that the plat
form of one party cannot be copied by
another to its own credit.
Two Forms for U. s. Senator.
Another provision is asserted to be
an improvement upon the Washington
law relative to the selection of United
States senators. In that state ma
jority of first choices is required to
instruct the Legislators for any one
party candidate. This is corrected to
read majority first choice or, In the
event there is no majority, the most
first and second choices-but the lam
guage used does not stipulate that this
shall mean an instruction to the leg
islatOrs.
Another section of the house bill
provides for separate ballots for each
party in primary election and per-
mits no scratching. A man must vote
an entire party ticket or none at all.
The party convention is to be at
tended, not by the candidates, as in
some states, but by delegates desig-
mated by county central committees
previously chosen by the nominees
This provision is made to prevent the
platform from being distorted to fft
the individual purposes of the various
candidates. The same section also re-
quires that the conventions of all par
ties shall not only be held on the same
day but shall be concluded within As
hours. The section relative to con-
ventions is in part as follows:
Party Organization Retained.
1.-THE nominees of the respective
parties for county offices in each coun-
ty, within a week after their own nom
ination, shall elect county central COM
mittees of their respective parties
composed of not less than one mem
Der, more than three members, from
each precinct in the county. Such
committees shall serve until their sue
cessors are chosen in like manner
preceding the next general election.
The said county central committees
shall each select one qualified voter
of the same political party as the
member of the state central committee
of that party, and the state central
committee shall consist of one such
committeeman from each county, pro-
vided, that the present party organiza-
ton of each party, both state and
county, shall continue until their sue
sions of this law.
"A county or state central commit
tee may elect it's chairman, secretary
and other officers, and fill vacancies
in the said committee, and shall have
the power to make it's own rules and
regulations, and shall prepare party
Pl uLu PldIlOI lOl
conventions, elect delegates to plat
form conventions, county, state or ma
tional, provide for the election of such
delegates otherwise, fill vacancies on
the ticket, provide for the nomination
of candidates to fill vacancies, or Of
fees not required to be nominated as
herein specified, and may perform all
other functions inherent in such or
CARNATIONS by virtue of all their GUS
toms not inconsistent with the terms
of this law, the same as if this law
had not been enacted, provided, that
the state platform convention of all
political organizations subject to the
provisions of this act shall meet at
the seat of the state government at II
O'Clock m. of the twentieth day after
the primary election, and shall forth
with organize, and each and every
such convention shall by a majority
vote adopt and promulgate party prin-
ciples and declarations of the respec-
tice parties, and shall within 48 hours
after assembling, file copy of such
platform with the secretary of state,
and such copy shall be duly certified
and attested by the chairman and sec
rotary of such convention
County platform conventions de-
string to adopt and promulgate any
principles, declarations or pledges,
shall in like manner meet at the
county seat at IL o'clock m. on the
thirtieth day after such election, and
forthwith organize and by a majority
vote adopt their platform and file the
same with the county auditor within
"a hours thereafter, which said plat
form shall be duly certified by the
chairman and secretary of such con-
vention"
Legislator Given Liberty.
II the bill, which has been intro
duced by Woodward, Parsons and Ad-
kinson, Is designed to give the voter a
direct voice in the election OF United
States senator, 1t falls short OF that
purpose, and the provisions relating
to 1t are loose enough to permit IL
berty to the legislator A voter may
signify his choice, and that choice may
receive majority of the votes Of the
party or the most first and second
choice votes Of the party, but the leg
lslatOr Is not bound to support such a