The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-02-09
HOUSE PRIMARY BILL WHIPPED
INTO SHAPE-EXpECTED
TO PLEASE ALL.
IMPORTANT CHANGES
Decided on by Primary Elections
Committee Of Illinois Senate
Yesterday--B anket Bal
1T CIT Out.
Special to The Bulletin.


Springfield, H., Feb. S-That the
final round in the desperate battle
over primary election legislation is
being reached by the Illinois general
assembly now in special session, is
Indicated in the action taken this af-
tefnoOn ty the senate primary elec-
.tiOns committee Of which Senator
John Daley, Of Peoria, is chairman.
In a determined way the committee set
about to whip house bill No. 40 into
such shape, by recommending amend
ments which viii make it possible for
all friends of direct plurality primary
legislation to combine on this bill,
which is built upon the rlame work
of the statements OF the Hamilton
Staymates bill, which passed the
house, carrying vast number Of
amendments.
The two most important advances
made today by the committee con
Gited Of an agreement to frame
special bill relative to the nomination
of members Of the general assembly
This bill to be ira,aei along the linc3
of tho Murray amendment adopted by
theh ouse, and which gave the sen
atorial committees the right to say
how many candidates shall be nom
mated for the, lower house, and the
ether very important advance made
was an agreement to eliminate any
provision for the blanket ballot.
These were the two principal points
Of difference between the bills which
passed the house and the senate The
senate bin carried with it the Gibson
blanket ballot feature, over which the
upper house had such a bitter fight
aud which was not included in the
Hamilton Staymates measure, PASSED
by the house. 1t was the Murray
amenlment over which the horse had
such a hard battle, but it was finally
inserted in the bin by a large ma
jority despite he protests OF Minor
ity Leader Brown and others, who de
elared il unconstitutional.
Fhe striking ont of this provision
from the house bin, as the senate
committee proposes, will obyiate the
danger OF the supreme court invalidat
ing the bill on the ground of the un-
consttutionality of this one feature,
BY making Of il c separate bill cvn
though it shoulT be declared void by
the court, it would not affect the gen
eral primary measure.
Advisory Vote on Senators.
Another change in the house bill,
recommended by the senate commit
tee today is a section providing a
statewide advisory vote on United
States senators instead of an advisory
vote by senatorial districts, as was
provided in the house measure.
Other Recommendation made by
the senate committee today are as
follows; providing that officers Of
committees need not be precinct com
.mitteemen; providing that the pri-
mary elections in the year 1919 shall
be held on the fifteenth day of Sep
tember, the dates of conventions be
ing arranged accordingly.
To strike out of the house bill the
whole OF section A relating to reg g
tration, and the substitution in lieu
thereof of section A of senate bin
mo. II. This section relates to the
qualification of voters and its friends
claim for it that it removes thoes
features of this section of the former
organizations by law, which were
specified as unconstitutional by the
supreme court.