St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-05-25
Primary Election Law.

1t seems evident that the people OF YER
mont will have to decide soon whether
or not the state shall have a primary
election law. State Senator E. w. Glib
son of Brattleboro who made a siren
uous fight in the last legislature for the
passage of such law is conducting an
active campaign to bring the matter be-
fore the coming session of the leg1sla-
ture. Editor F. L. Greene who has been
chosen as chairman of the committee on
resolutions for the republican state con-
vention on June 80 is an advocate of a
primary election law and it is reason
able to expect the party will be asked to
make some definite declaration on this
policy at that time.
The advocates of such law evidently
would do away with party caucuses and
party conventions so far as the nOmina-
ton of state officials is concerned and
give all the people of the state an oppor-
tunity on a given day to express by
ballot their choice for candidate for
state and county officials. 1t would
transfer the expense of nominating such
officials from the politicians to the
general government. 1t is argued that
with the ballot boxes open for six hours
or more during the day the people would
have much better opportunity to ex-
press their choice than at the party eau
cuses which are generally open from
fifteen minutes to two hours in the even
ing; that it would be impossible for any
small coterie of politicians to put
through estate" at the town caucuses
and so destroy the power of any "politi-
cal machine" to control the officers of
the state.
These arguments are good and we
believe the majority of the voters of the
state would like to see these things ac-
complished. The CALIFORNIAN certainly
believes that the voice of the people
should be determined as fully and accur-
ately as possible in the selection of
public officials and that theoretically the
methods advocated by the supporters of
a primary election would bring about
these results. Practically, however,
there are some questions to be deter
mined. First it has not been proven in
practice that the use of money in politics
has been stopped or the power of comb
nations of men destroyed where they
have adopted primary elections. Would
it be possible under the proposed change
to secure the choice of majority of the
people for one candidate under the pro-
posed system? Suppose a half dozen
names were before the people for the
position of governor and their support
was very nearly evenly divided, the man
who had the most votes would really
have the support of a trife over one
sixth of the voters and the other five
sixths would be expected to support him
as the candidate. This would allow the
voters to prevail or make it necessary tc
hold second primary election. If nc
majority was secured then still more
primaries must follow or less than thu
majority prevail. Under the present
system a candidate may not secure
majority of the votes at the caucuses bu
the representatives. of the voters in con
vention must give candidate majo
ity vote before he can serve as the part,
candidate.
These are not put forth in opposition
to any plan to give the people fulle
representation in the choice of their car
didates but as practical questions tina
should be satisfactorily answered befor
the party or the state commits itself t.
the proposed change in our electora
system.