The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-04-09
DIRECT NOMINATIONS
Letter From E. w. Gibson Of Brat
tleboro on the Subject.

Letter From {. w. Gibson of Brat
tleboro on the Subject.
Editor of Banner: The nominal
tion of candidates for public Office by
direct vote is one of the issues be-
fore the people in the present pre-
convention campaign. Since this
proposed method of selecting candi-
dates is not fully understood by all.
and since it reasonably follows that
it ought to be understood in order
that intelligent action thereon may
be taken, to the end of adopting IL,
If after full consideration it appears
that ,t ought to be adopted, and re
jecting il if it ought to be rejected,
take the liberty of asking for space
in this, and possibly in other issues
of your paper, to set forth the direct
vote method, stating as clearly as
am able what it is, where in force,
it's proysn advantages, and the pro
ven disadvantages of the present
caucus system.
1t has been well said that the
foundations Of a representative
government rest in the primaries"
Then II follows, that in order to pro-
tect those foundations, we must look
to the primaries and see to it that
they correctly register the will Of the
people. This is especially true in a
state like ours, where a nomination
by the voters OF the Republican party
is equivalent to an election, because
the nomination means the election;
audit means, too, that the public Off
and 1t means too, that the public Off
that the nominations are made, and
not at the time when we ratify the
action OF caucus and convention at
the general election A few of the
voters manipulate the selection at
the caucus and convention, which
selection the mass of voters ratify
at election time.
The Proposed Method.
We now select our candidates for
Office through the delegates elected
at thinly attended caucuses, who at
tend a series Of conventions, which
nominate candidates for state and
county Offices, seventeen at every off
election year, and twenty in every
presidential year, for each political
party. II Is a most cumbersome and
complex system when viewed in any
reasonable perspective. The nomin-
alton by the direct vote method diff
fers from our present system in this.
that all the voters of each party vote
directly for the party candidates, the
delegates, who have been aptly term
ed political middlemen," being cut
out Under II the method of Great
ing party organization Is not
changed but the nominations, now
made by delegates in convention as
sembled, Is given TO the people, who
select by a direct vote. The old sys-
tenn is an indirect way OF selecting
candidates, the proposed system a d.
rect one. The old system serves TO
place the selection Of candidates in
the hands of the few, who are recog-
nized in every community as politi-
cal manipulators The proposed sys-
TEN aims TO give every voter an OPP
portunity to express his choice by
| his vote. and operates thereby 10
shift the choice of candidates from
| the few, TO the many II Is simple.
II is in harmony with the theory Of
the government under which we live
| In this state. Il is effective In re-
ducing 10 minimum the influence OF
the political manipulation, and in Sc
curing the choice OF the people. In
practical operation it would mean
| that every voter OF every party would
select his party candidate In exactly
the same way as we select our public
officials at election time. A simple,
effective law, such as we ought to
have to suit our needs, would apply
the methods we use at our general
elections to the primary election.
To show what a primary law Is, LET
us briefly review the provisions oil
the Bill which was passed by the
Senate In 1908. II provided that
candidates for state and county OF
fees and representatives to Congress
should be nominated by primary
election, held on the third Tuesday OF
June: that all parties which mac
polled at least one per cent OF the
total vote at the last previous gener
al election should be entitled to par
ticIpate: for an official party ballot
for each party: that names OF candi
dates for nomination should be plac
ed upon the official ballot upon petit
ton OF a certain number OF voters Of
that party in time so that the coun
" clerk could print for public infor
nation the names Of all candidates o
each party az least three weeks prior
to the date of the primary, and each
town clerk post for the public inior
nation the names Of all candidates
in three public places In each town
for ballots with the names OF all can
dldates arranged alphabetically &C
cording to the surname, with blani
space for the writing In OF any othel
name desired by the voter; for votinl
by check lists the same as now used
for a method OF voting the same as a
general election. except that vote
In demanding a ballot should STATE
the party ballot desired; for prevent
ing the voters OF one party votinl
for the candidates OF another party