The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-04-09
DIRECT PRIMARY LAW
is Advocated BY E. W. Gibson of Brat
tleb0ro.

tleboro
TO the Editor Of the Barre Times,
My Dear Sir, The nomination u csndi
dates for public Office BY a direct vote
IS one Of the issues before the people
in the present pre-convention campaign.
Since this proposed method Of selecting
candidates is not fully understood by
All, and since It reasonably follows that
il 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 it ought
to be adopted, and rejecting It If il
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 I am able what Il IS where
in force, its proven advantages and the
proven disadvantages Of the present eau
Gus system.
It has been well said that the sfonnda.
ton Of a representative government rests
in the primaries Then IL follows that,
in order to protect those foundations, We
must look to the primaries and see 10 It
iA&t AlNN tCHAFhft AQAANNAAN AAAH VIII u
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; and ii
means, too, that the public officials are
really selected at the time that the nomi.
nations 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 selee-
ton 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 eaucuses, who attend
series Of conventions, which nominate
candidates FOR state and county officers,
seventeen al every o1-election year and
twenty n every presidential year, for
each political party. 1t is q most cum
bersome and complex system. when
viewed in any reasonable perspective
The nomination hy the direct vote meth
Oh differs from our present system in
this. that ali the voters Of each party
vote directly for the party candidates
the delegates. who have been aptly
termed political middlemen," being cut
out. Under ii the method of creating
party organization IS not changed but
the nominations, now made by delegates
in convention assembled il given to the
people, who select by a direct vote. The
old system Is an indirect way of selecting
candidates, the proposed system a direct
one. The old system serves to place
the selection Of candidates in the hands
of the few, who are recognized in every
community Us political manipuIators.
The proposed system aims To give every
voter an opportunity to express his
choice Of candidates BY bis votes, and
operates thereby to shift the choice from
the few to the many. 1t Is simple. 1t
IS in harmony with the theory Of the
government under which we live IN this
state. 1t Is effective in reducing to a
minimum the influence Of the political
manipulators and in securing 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 elect
our public officials at election time. a
simple, effective law, such as we ought
to have to suit our needs, would apply
ths methods we use at our general cleo
tions to the primary election.
To show what a primary law Is. let
rs briefly review the provisions Of the
bill which was passed by the Senate in
1908. It provided that candidates for
state and county Offices and representa-
tiyes to Congress should be nominated BY
i primary election, held on the third
Tuesday Of June; that all parties which
had polled at least one per cent. 0f the
total vote at the last previous general
slection should be entitled to participated;
Tor an official party ballot for each par
ty, that names Of candidates for n0mi.
nation should be placed upon the official
ballot upon petition Of certain num-
bar Of voters Of that party in time 50
that the county clerk could print for
1ublio information the names Of all can
didates Of each party at least three
weeks prior to the date Of the primary,
and each town clerk post for the public
information the names Of All candidates
ID three public places in each town; for
ballots with the names Of al candidates
arranged alphabetically, according to-
the surname, with blank space for the
writing in Of any other name desired
by the voters: for voting BY check lists
the same as now used; Tor a method Of
voting the same IS at general election,
except that d voter In demanding 4 bal.
lot should state the party ballot desired
for preventing the voters Of one party
voting fer the candidates ef another