Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-08-04

state, II, from candidates TOT county Of
fssers, with N,o county clerk"
Sec. q. No person shall. In order to
promote his owl nomination az n candl.
date for public office, directly or Indirect
~, himself or through another person or
by n political committee, give, pay, ex-
pend br contribute or promise TO give.
pay, expend or contribute any money or
other valuable thing, except for personal
expenses, which shall be construed To
mean expenses for travelling, or for
writing printing and preparing for
transmission amy letter, circular, or other
publication issued at regular Intervals
whereby he may state his position Or
views upon pul,ic or other questions, or
stationery, or postage for telegraph. tele-
phone or other public messenger service
or for other petty personal expenses. The
amounts to be expended for the pur-
poses herein indicated shall not exceed
the following respective amounts!
Candidates for nomination for the
office of governor, an amount not exceed
Candidates for nomination for the
office OF representative to Congress or
other state offices, an amount not ex-
Candidates for nomination for county
offices. on amount not exceeding saSo".
Lot us ask the News about system
that permits a candidate for governor In
tho little State of Vermont to eKpend
s50.0O0 for the purpose OF securing a
nomination. MS charged and never denied
from n voting strength OF less than BOON
republican voters. lf "a system which per-
mits the expenditure of 800, 900 to secure
| an election to the United Htntes Senate
| In a State with y republican voting
| strength OF approximately &o.0o what
| will the News say OF II system which per-
| inits q candidate for governor to spend
| s2fo, 600 In this little Htntei II the primary
| system Is undesirable on that account
| why II not tho caucus system for the
same reaHon7 VIII tho News tell VIZ how
much II cost its candidate. Or. Mead. to
| secure his nomination for governor Lot
us be fnir about this question. toll us. Mr.
| Fairfield how much 1t cost your cnndi-
| date to secure nomination under the
caucus system and lot MS sce how the
| figures which you Of course will produce.
compare with the figures which 1t costs
candidates under tho primary system.
| As to the third contention OF the News,
| Il In not fact that tho man Of veal "a
has tho advantage Of a poor man. but 1t
In q fact and II is the universal rule that
the primary system tends to the selection
| Of candidates for public office from the
smaller towns Of tho State, or the TWEEN
ty-ono governors now in office who were
| chosen by direct primary, six are from
towns of less than one thousand inhabi-
| 81 Of. yf
thousand inhabitants and four from
cities Of less than twenty thousand in
habitants, and all Of these men are com
paratiyely poor men. The direct primary
offerr the opportunity for the selection OF
able, deserving men without regard tt
the amount Of money which they possess
II doesn't result In the adoption of the
dollar mark as the party emblem witt
the inscription. " In hoe signo vinces."
Governor Fort Of New Jersey in mes
sage to the New Jersey Legislature, salG
of a similar claim made BY the opponents
Of the direct primary In that State thai
1t Is false and absolutely untrue" Il
the third claim of the News has any
foundation whatever. will the editor OF
the News be so kind AS to explain to u
why Joseph l.. Bristow, with no fnan
cial backing. was able to defeat Chester
!. Long backed by unlimited means. ir
the Kansas primaries for United States
senator? Why was Wesley l.. Jones, z
poor man. able to defeat the millionair,
Ankeney in the primaries Of Washington
How was johnson. another comparativel,
poor man, able to win ont in North Da
kota against three rich competitors?
We are glad the News brought out tn,
points 1t did In its editorial. We trus
that this editorial may be answered b,
the News or by any other newspape,
which favors the caucus and convention
want the facts. The facts can be de-
veloped by public discussion. and news
paper editorials.