Semi-weekly herald., 1910-12-05

Py time tue nsst election comes
around there Will oe acw ard entire
ly different method Oi choosing publ.
officers in Colorado The new method
of selecting candidates is provided Tor
under the direct primary constitutional
amendment which has been adopted
by q majority vote cast at the last
election.
The new law does away With the
party conventions A general gather
ing or convention Is held at which
prospective candidates may be voted
fol by any elector for various positions
on the different party tickets.
Several prospective candidates may
be voted for, the number not being
limited, and all those who receive
ten per cent OF the party vote or more,
as certified to BY the primary officers
to the county clerk, are placed on a
primary ticket, which is voted on at a
second primary election to be held at
each voting precinct.
There may be several candidates
named In each party for any office,
and the electors are entitled to make
their selection from the list, naming
the person they wish to represent
their party as candidate. The candi.
date receiving the largest party vote
is named as the successful candidate
and his name will appear on the Off.
cial ballot at the general election. This
does away with the county convention
and nominees are selected not by party
delegates but by the electors of each
party.
The direct primary law indirectly
provides for the selection of United
States senator by a direct vote of the
people. 1t requires that Legislative
candidates after being named in the
first primary gatherings must make
one Of two pledges. to support either
the party's choice or the peoples
choice for the United States senate.
These pledges are made public be-
fore the final vote to select party can
dA0alGbt thG iCbuit pCluS tHdL thC iC6
islanlve candidates named on any
ticket will be pledged either to sup
port the man for the U. s. Senate who
receives the largest party vote or the
largest popular vote in the state. The
names OF senatorial candidates and
candidates for state offices being vot
ed for at the second primary election.
Legislative candidates will naturally
pledge themselves to support the man
receiving the largest popular vote in
order to strengthen their own chances
of being nominated. BY this system
Democratic legislature might pledge
to vote for Republican U. s. sena.
tor, or vice versa.
To bring the situation closer to To-
cal elections, Republican candidates
In La Plata county who wish to have
their names appear on the candidate
list must receive about 150 or more
votes at the first primary gathering
and Democratic candidates must re-
ceive about 200 or more votes.
Referring to the senatorial selec
tion from local standpoint assuming
that Geo. Weaver after receiving suf-
ficient votes at the first primary to
entitle his name to come up at the
second primary, should pledge himself
to support the peoples choic for u. s.
senator and IL Guggenheim should re-
ceive the largest popular vote for the
senate in Colorado at the second pri-
mary. Weaver after being nominated
and elected would be pledged to cast
his vote for Guggenheim when the leg.
islature selects man for this i'm
portant office. Highly improbable as
this sounds, nevertheless, it is posi-
BILE under the direct primary system.
On the other hand, by this system
a legislative candidate might pledge
himself TO support candidate
for the senate in his own party whom
he does not favor. To illustrate. Rep
resentatlve Weaver believing that
Shaforth will be the Democratic choice
for the United States senate two years
hence, and favoring Shafroth, should
pledge himself to support his party's
shoice; and assuming that Dr. Jeffer
son received the largest Democrat.
vote for the senate, Weaver, Shat
roth supporter would be previousl!
pledged to support Jefferson.