Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1910-04-28
PRIMARY ELECTIONS.
Judge Gibson Explains Advantages
of the System

The nomination OF candidates for pub
lie Office BY a direct vote is one Of the
issues before the people in the present
pre-convention campaign. Since this
proposed method of selecting candidates
is not fully understood by ell, and since
it reasonably follows that it ought to be
understood in order that intelligent ac-
tion thereon may be taken, to the end Of
adopting il, if after full consideration ii
appears that it ought to be adopted, and
rejecting it il it ought to be rejected, l
take the liberty of asking for space in
this, and possibly in other issues OF your
paper, to set forth the direct vote method,
stating as clearly as am able, what it is,
where in force, its proven advantages,
and the proven disadvantages OF the pres
ent caucus system.
1t has been well said that the 'founda-
/ tions OF representative government rest
/ in the primaries Then it follows that
in order to protect those foundations, we
must look to the primaries and see 10 II
that they correctly register the will OF
the people. This is especially true in
state like ours, where a nomination by the
voters of the Republican party is eouiya-
lent to an election, because the nomina-
tion means the election; and il means,
too, that the public officials are really Sc
lected at the time that the nominations
are made, and not at the time when we
ratify the action of caucus and conven-
tion at the general election. A few OF
the voters manipulate the selection at the
caucus and convention. which selection
the mass of voters ratiiy at election time.
We now select our candidates for office
through the delegates elected at thinly
attended eaucuses, who attend a series OF
conventions, which nominate candidates
for state ana county offices, II at every
of election year and 20 in every presi-
DENTAL year, for each political party. II
is most cumbersome and complex sys-
tenn when viewed in any reasonable per-
spective. The nomination by the direct
vote method differs from our present sys-
tenn in this, that oil the voters Of each
party vote directly for the party candi-
dates, the delegates, who have aptly been
termed political middlemen," being cut
out. Under il the method of creating
party organization is not changed, but
the nomination, now made by delegates
in convention assembled, is given to the /
people, who select by direct vote The |
old system is al indirect way OF selecting /
candidates, the proposed system a direct I
one. The old system serves 10 place the 1
election Of candidates ia the hands Of the /
few, who are recognized in every COM /
munity as political manipulators. Tie /
proposed system aimsto give every voter an /
opportunity to express hts choice by his .
vote, and operates thereby 10 shift the 4
choice of candidates from the few to the
10 uf, MI Il 80 Fs. l.
with the theory Of the government under
which we live in this state. It is effective
in reducing to minimum the influence
OF the political manipulation, and in Sc
curing the choice OF the people. In prao-
tical operation II would mean that every
voter Of every party would select his can
didate in exactly the same way as we
elect our public officials at election time.
A simple, effective law, such as we ought I
to have TO suit our needs, would apply I
the methods we use at general elections 10
the primary election.
To show what primary law is, let us
briefly review the provisions OF the bill 4
which was passed by the Senate in 1905.
II provided that candidates for state and
county offices and representatives to Con.
gress should be nominated by a primary
election, held on the third Tuesday OF
June; that all parties who had polled al
least one per cent of the total vote at the
last previous general election should be
entitled to participate; for an official
party ballot for each party; that names
Of candidates for nomination should be
placed upon the official ballot upon peti.
len Of a certain number OF voters OF that
party in time so that the county clerk
could print for public information the
names Of all candidates OF each party at
east three weeks prior to the date of the
primary, and each town clerk post for
public information the names OF all can i
iidates in three public places in each
own: for ballots with the names OF all
arranged alphabetically &C.
'ording to the surname. with blank space
or the writing in Of any other name de-
ired by the voter; for voting by check ,
lists the same as now used; for method !
II voting the same as at general election. I
kept that voter in demanding a ballot !
hould state the party ballot desired: for !
preventing be voters OF one party voting !
or the candidates of another party; that /,
hen so provided with the official party
lallot he should retire to a booth and !
designate by cross the mans Of the one !
esired as the candidate of his party; for !
he counting Of votes by the same officers :
nd the making Of returns the same as for =
eneral elections; that the ones having a
be highest number of votes should be de- !,
Jared the nominees of each party.
Thus it is clear that by the adoption OF Z
primary election law we would be sim 4
ly following method Of selecting candi- =
ates which has become familiar to us by .
ctual use at election time during many \
ears past. so familiar, in fact, that every Il
otter no matter how ignorant, has be- 4
ome familiar with it, and able under it !
} register his will at election time. II I
9 is able to register his will at election ],
me under this method, he would surely I,
9 to do the same thing at the time Of =
gliding the primary. =,
The bill further provides that within !,
N days after the primary election, each r
indicate should prepare and file an item Il
ed statement setting forth in detail a ],
'mplete record Of his expenditures OF n
oney or other thing of value by himself :,
his agents for the purpose OF securing
nomination to Office. The expenditures ~,
ere limited to expenses incidental to :,
aveling, to writing, printing and trans 70
lifting letters, circulars, or other publi- ~
tion, for postage, telegraph and tele- -
ha I -