The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1910-07-08
That Thirty Per Cent. Clause.

That Thirty Per Cent. Clause.
In last weeks issue of the
+; News Mr.. Falkenstein was be-
wailing the fact that the demo-
Gratis had not cast a sufficient
number of ballots to fulfil the
thirty per cent provision Of the
primary election law and place
in nomination democratic can
didates to oppose the republi-
can county nominees. Among
other things, the article states
that this thirty per cent provi-
sion is unreasonable to right
thinking men and unconstitu-
tional in the judgment of
many good lawyers, and the
democrats say they will carry
it to the supreme court at once
and fight for their rights" It
also stated that States Attorney
Weeks had gone to Grand
Forks and that while gone he
would probably look the matter
up with lawyers there.
Evidently Falky and Mr..
Weeks were not aware that the
supreme court had already held
this provision constitutional, in
the case of the state against
Anderson from Grand Forks
county, decided a year ago last
October.
The News states that this
provision clearly is "unreason-
able to right thinking men,"
but the supreme court held
that to require thirty per cent
of the voters of a party to cast
their ballots in order to nonni-
nate was a reasonable regula-
ton, and that where more than
seventy per cent of the voters
of a party were not sufficiently
interested in the different party
candidates for nomination for
particular Office to vote it was
conclusive evidence that the
members of that party desired
to place no one in nomination
for such office. Before the
democratic candidates can get
their names placed on the
ticket it will be necessary for
them to get the supreme court
to reverse itself, which is not
at all probable.
Since these various demo
cratic candidates have been dis
carded by their own party and
more than seventy per cent of
their own party refused to get
out and vote for their nomina-
ton, they are not in very good
position to ask the republicans
to pick them up and vote for
them even if they are success
full in getting their names
placed on the ballot in the fall.
The county ticket placed in
nomination by the republicans
is one of the strongest that has
ever been presented to the
voters Of this county. There is
scarcely nominee against
whom the slightest objection
can be urged. It is evident
that the democrats did not have
any serious objection to the re-
publican candidates when not
three in ten would go to the
primaries and cast ballot for
the opposing candidates Of their
own party. ss
Under the primary law the
republican ticket presented to
the voters not only has been
nominated by the republicans
but it has been endorsed by the
democrats. s3
Falkenstein apparently has a |
great desire to try to stir up
republican sympathy for some
aspiring democratic politicians
who have been discredited by
their own party.
No one has insisted more
strenously than Falk lkenstein for
as primary election law but he
seems to be one Of the first to
turn around and kick the legis.
lature for enacting one. He
now claims that when the
legislatures did act ia this
matte that its act is uncon-
stitutional.
Phone 114 for s Dia
i1loi1d lo1r SO -tfI