The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-04-09

party; that when SO provided with the
official party ballot he should retire to
booth and designate By cross the
name Of the one desired as the candidate
Of bis party; for the counting Of votes
by The same officers aud the making 81
returns The same as FOR general eleuiions
that the ones having the highest mum
Der Of votes should be declared the nom
inees Of each party.
Thus il Is clear that by the adoption
Of primary election Law we would be
simply following q method Of selecting
candidates which has become familiar to
us 81 actual use at election time during
many years last past. 80 familiar, IN
fact, that every voter. no matter how
ignorant has become familiar with il.
and able under il TO register his will
&C election time. II he Is able to regis
ter his will az election time under this
method he would surely be able to do the
same thing at The time Of holding the
primary
The bin further provided that within
ten days after the primary election each
candidate should prepare and Gle an item.
lied statement. settling forth in detail a
complete record Of his expenditures of
money Or other things Of value BIZ him
self or his agents for the purpose Of
securing d nomination to Office The ex
penditures were limited to expenses Incl
dental to travelling 70 writing printing
and transmitting letters. circulars or 9th.
er publication, for postage. telegraph and
telephone The amount 70 be SO OK
pended being limited to- fifteen hundred
dollars for governor, one thousand dol
lars for congressman and other state
officers. and two hundred and fifty dol
lars for county officers. Il provided
further for stiff penalties for expendi
lures Of more than the specified amounts.
or for other purposes than specified, or
for failure To fle statements The act
also provides for the adoption Of the
party platform BY council consisting
Of the candidates and the party com
mittees
BY these provisions It viii be seen that
the aim Of the proposed act was 10 throw
the selection Of candidates around Ter
Office those projections which would hit
sure "a the people the absolute recording
Of their will and thereby increase the
certainty Of perpetuation If republican
institutions. The purchasing Of Office.
the consequent degradation Of citizenship.
and toe public service would no longer Be
possible under it's provisions II would
guard against assaults upon the funda
mental principle Of our goyernmentthe
rule Of the people.
Where in Force.
The proposed method IS not radical
or revolutionary. Its adoption would
not be leap iii the dark 1t Is not an
experiment 1t II now in force in TWEEN
tn eight states Of the union. Contests
are now being waged in several other
states for the law, which are sure Of ul-
innate success Eighteen states have
mandatory laws, requiring the use Of
the method in selecting candidates for
practically all Offices. Five have manda.
tory laws, covering certain localities, and
five have permissiye primary election
laws So IL appears that the direct phi
for naming candidates now in vogue. II
was first used in Crawford county Pa,
by the Republican party IN the year
1850, and has been continued in force I'M
that county ever since 0f the thirty-one
United States senators elected III 1908,
seventeen were nominated by means Of
the direct primary, and Of the thirty-one
governors fifteen were nominated by the
same method II came into use in Min.
nesota eleven years ago Michigan and
other states then took It MP, and it has
since spread rapidly through the West
and the middle West The struggle now
on in New York, between Gov Hughes
and the politicians, is typical Of all con
tests for the adoption Of the method
Gov Hughes and the primary idea are
sure to win. 1t will be adopted because
il is right and what Is right sooner Of
later prevails in the affairs AZ men.
Advantages Of the Direct Primary.
/. It means responsibility Of the Off
cial to the voter, instead OF responsible /
ity TO the political worker
2, It Is the simpler method.
3. Ii makes the exercise Of corrupt
influence over nominations more difficult.
A. Under the direct primary more ii
terest is taken ID the nominations. Iti
brings out regularly, on an average. three
times more OF the voting strength Of
the party Than under the caucus system.
s. It insures more nearly the rule
Of the people
6. It banishes into the darkness Of
political oblivion those little men which
the eaueuses tend 70 make great and
elevates to the public service those men
which the caucuses naturally make lit
tie
But these advantages. with the con
sent Of the editor we will discuss in D
later issue.
Very truly yours.
+ ~. Gibson.
Brattleboro. vt.