The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-08-03
POLITICAL BOSSES
ARE PUT TO R0uT
How Grand Junction Elects Men Who
Will Garry Out the VIII Of
the Majority.

for some one candidate. IL rests on
the theory that the man to whose
election a majority assents Is the
choice of the community. rather than
the man who receives the votes OF a
plurality as their first choice, but who
may be wholly repugnant 10 a major
ity OF the citizens.
In the nominations. party politics
are eliminated. Candidates are NAM
ed by a petition signed by:50 voters.
The names 60 upon the ballot In al
phabetical arrangement, without any
designation as to politics. religion,
race OF previous condition of servi-
tude." The aim Ia TO bar partisan
considerations altogether.
Under this system, every voter
casts q ballot for the man who rep
resents his first choice. He can then
register his preference. from among
the other candidates. as to the man
he wouic prefer. should his first Sc
lection fail to receive majority Of
first choice" votes. A third choice
enables him 10 register his assent to
the election Of one of the other can
didates. limiting his whole number
Of votes to one less than the total
number Of candidates.
Highest Majority Decides.
When the votes are counted, II no
one candidate has received major
lily OF all first choice" votes cast, the
lowest candidate Is dropped, and the
second choics votes for each candi.
date are added to his FIRST choice"
vote. II this addition gives q MAJOR
ity OF the total vote to any one can
didate, he is declared elected.
II this still fails to show q majority,
the lowest on the second count Is
dropped. and the third choices are
added to the total of the first and sec
ond. AS a mathematical proposition.
some one candidate MUST receive a
majority on this count, and the high
est majority determines the election.
-.Inder-this -systsmy -eyeryL citizen
is allowed the widest expression Ut
his wishes. We find the common basis
on which the majority will unite. Our
officials w,ust 60 into ONCE with the
consent-not the partisan adherence
of a majority of the people" says
James w. Bucklin. who drafted the
charter.
Where but two candidates are run
ming for Office. the second and third
choices are of course eliminated.
When there are but three candidates,
only second choice is registered.
II took four elections to carry the
charter fight through it's various
stages. The big interests were always
against the charter, but the people
finally won. Then. having failed to
stop the progress OF reform, the ma
chine resorted to the old trick OF at
tempting to choose its servants to
enforce" It, to nuilify Its provisions
ard to appropriate Its power.
The old method OF playing upon the
prejudices of It's enemies was used.
The charter fights had developed nu-
merous prominent leaders. To each of
these was whispered the ambition to
be mayor.
The result was that four of the men
who had been prominent In the fight
for the charter were nominated under
the petition system.
The machine put in nomination as
its candidate, w. II. Bannister, a
business man, whose record was one
of fidelity to the old regime. Later
1t induced working man, named
Lutes, to permit the use OF his name.
But at the election the machine cen
tered on Bannister.
The friends of the charter were
divided, as expected Aupperle, prom
inent In church affairs, drew the
largest vote. Todd, Socialist, back
ed by large portion of the union
labor element, was second in favor,
with Slocomb, the representative OF
the extreme prohibition sentiment,
third, and Tough. newcomer, last
among Its favors
There were 1899 votes cast for
mayor. II took 800 TO elect under this
majority rule. Z
Machine Candidate Leads.
Bannister, the machine candidate,
got 603 on the first ballot. with Lutes.
the secondary candidate of the ma
chine, getting but Al, showing the
cohesive power of political bipartisan
organizations.
Bannister led In first choice votes.
Nearest to him was Aupperle with
400. Then came Todd with 362, Slo-
comb with 229, and Tough with 80.
Under the plurality rule the machine
would have been able to keep from
the people the fruits of their former
victories, for II would have had its
men In power.
The friends of the charter still d.
vided their votes on second choice.
But the vote In that column shows
that, deducting the Al votes which
went to Tough, only SO charterites
were willing that Bannister should be
mayor. And on the third choice,
which determined the result, only AZ
others showed a willingness that the
machine man should be mayor.
The totals of the third choice are
illuminating. Starting with the 500
votes of the machine, Bannister secur-
ed the ballots OF but 739 who were
willing to assent to his election. Lead
ing on the first ballot, he was last
on the final count.
Todd, who was third on the first
ballot, received the Endorsement OF a
majority of the citizens. There were
more people that were willing he
should be mayor than were opposed
to his exercise OF that office.
"The system changes the basis"
says BuckIin. 1T finds the common
level OF willingness on which citizen
ship can meet. II shows the con.
sent of the governed"
Responsive TO Public Demands.
The last test OF any system of gov
eminent is whether or not 1T works :"
This new word on municipal gov.
eminent does work." say it's citi-
zens.