The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-26
Politics and Reason Will Come
Together at City Primaries.
Election of School Board and
Commissioners to Conflict.
PARTY VS.. BUSINESS.
Primary Ballots With and With
out Usual Emblems.
No Candidates Appear for Conn.,
ing School Board Election.


Will the old city central committee
be elected by the people of Topeka this
year?
Will there be primary held for the
nomination of the city precinct COM
Hitteemen?
Will there be the old party trouble
between the Democratic and Republi-
can parties as in days of yore?
These are the questions that are both
ering the city officials in connection
with the attempts of the city attorney
and the attorney general of the state
to combine the primaries of the mayor
and commissioners under the commits
sion form and the members of the
school board.
Through an opinion from Attorney
General Jackson it was deemed advis-
able to combine the primaries for the
two elections and in this way retain
the old ward scrap for members of the
school board and then. in the same
breath throw aside party politics and
e.ect mayor and commissioners.
But 1t has been found since City
Clerk Cornelius Burge has issued his
first call for the primaries that in COM
bining the old laws with the new it is
still necessary to nominate and elect
city precinct committeeman and thus
form the old time city central commit
tee.
Then it is discovered that in holding
the time fer fhe petition papers of the
candidates for members of the school
board that in electing member from
each ward the Democrat and Repub-
hcan candidates will be as thick as
ever and their petitions must come un-
der the party emblem.
A Two Sided Primary.
Topeka is due to witness a two-sided
T rinlary this year. In holding the prl-
nlaries for the members of the school
hoard and the mayor and commission
ers the OLD system of fighting for the
parties and the new system OF doing
away with all party politics will all
come under he same roof
A man will have to enter his booth
and laying aside all prejudices and
former battle spirit he will go through
me ffsf or caHdfdates and vote for
mayor and commission
ers in spite of their old political con-
nections.
Then he will turn to another ballot
and the old war time blood will course
through his veins as he votes for
Democrat or Republican. To send
man to the polls with clear con-
science this year and make him recog
nize the theories of the commission
law and still hold up the policies of
their party, is asking considerable
considering the record of the city
elections of the past.
School Board Primaries.
The old law says that the nomina-
ton papers for members of the school
board and for the precinct commit
teemen must be filed 40 days before
the primaries. City Clerk Burge has
sent out notice to the effect that
the primaries will be held on the 2Sth
day of March This means that the
- L. i -~-~A
committeeman candidates must be in
by the middle of February.
There are at the present time no
petitions out for candidates for MEM
bers of the school board. Each year
six mem bers are elected-one from
each ward There are six members
to retire this year and there has been
no sign of fight to fill the vacated
positions.
The precinct committeeman will
pro bly, not be elected this year. The
new law does away with the scheme
of organizing a city central commit
tee and assessing each candidate for
the expenses of the party in carrying
on his campaign.
But in the call issued by the city
clerk the nomination was mentioned
it is according to law and the city
officials are thus bound. Their pc
titions must have at least 10 per
cent of the party vote in their pre-
cinct-
The members of the school board
must have petitions that have at least
per cent of the party vote in each
of at least one-fourth of election pre-
cincts of the city and in aggregate
not less than 8 per cent nor more than
10 per cent of the total vote of the
party designated.
In Topeka this means about 500
signers-
The whole matter of com bining
party politics with the new model
commission form politics and keeping
the city offices filled according to law
without a flaw or d loose screw is
bothering the city officials If any
one desired he could spend month
registering the flaws in the new laws
but the people are going to shut
their eyes to politics and use reason
so it is said.
Meanwhile the Democrats and Re-
publicans will have to gather their
forces together and plan for the
school board and possibly city pre-
sinct ommitteemen fight