Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1910-04-08

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Have Done.
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To the Editor oil Inc vermont lH0SiiiN'
Nv dear sir:
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Inc Hoinliia'ioii VI A..
lie Office by ulrecV No'e 10 o"e "a '''
issues before the people in the present
nre-convention campaign. Since this
nronosed method Of selecting candidates
IS not tully uhG iei, pg an ni,rht 70
he understood in order that intelligent
action thereon may be taken, to the end
of adopting it, if after full consideration
IL auuears that it ought to be adopted
ana rejecting il if it ought to be re-
iectad I 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 l am able,
what it is, where in force its proven
ADVANTAGES and the proven disadvan-
tapes of the present caucus system.
II has been well said that the
foundations of a representative govern
ment rest in the primaries" Then it
follows that in order to protect those
foundations we must look to the pri-
naries and see to it that they correctly
register the will of the people. This is
especially true in 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 it means, too
that the public officials are really select
ed at the time that the nominations are
made. and not at the time when We
ratify the action of caucus and conven-
ton at the general election. a few OF
, the voters manipulate the selection al
the caucus and convention which Sc
lection the mass of voters ratify al
election time.
The proposed metnoo'
We now select our candidates for Of
fee through the delegates elected a
thinly attended caucuses who attend
series of conventions, which nominate
candidates for state and county offices
II at every off election year anC
90 in every presidential year, 70
each political party. 1t is a mos
cumbersome and complex system whei
viewed in any reasonable perspective
The nomination by the direct vote meth
cd differs from our present system II
this. that all the voters of each part
vote directly for the party candidates
the delegates, who have aptly bee
termed political middlemen," being Gu
out. Under it the method of creatin
PARTY organization is not changed, bu
the nominations, now made by delegate
in convention assembled, is given to tn
people. who select by a direct vote Tn
old system is an Indirect way of Sc
lactiny candidates. the proposed syster
n direct one. The old system serves
place the election of candidates in tn
hands of the few. who are recognize
in every community as political manipu
lators. The proposed system aims t
give every voter an opportunity to en-
nress his choice bv his vote. and operate
thereby to shift the choice of candidate
from the few to the many. 1t is simple
IT is in harmony with the theory of tn
government under which we live in tn
state. It is effective in reducing to
minimum the influence of the polite;
manipulator and in securing the choiC
of the people In practical operation
would mean that every voter of ever
marty would select his candidate
exactly the same way as we elect OF
public officials at election time. sin
Die. effective law. such as we ought
have to suit our needs, would apply II
methods we use at general elections
the urinary election
TO show what a primary law is. |
us briefly review the provisions of II
bin which was passed by the Senate
1905. 1t provided that candidates f
state and county offices and represent
tives to Congress should be nominal
by a primary election. held on the thi
Tuesday of lime. that all parties wi
had polled at least one per cent. of Il
tota, vote AT tho last nravions qaner
election should be entitled to participat
for an official marty ballot for each mart
that names of candidates for nominati
should he nlace1 unon the official han
upon petition of a certain number
voters of that marty in time So that I
county clerk could print for public /
formation the names of ali candidat
of each party at least three wee
nrior TO the date of the urinary a
each town clerk most for public inform
ton the names of all candidates in thr
nublic nlaces in each town. for han,
with the names of ali candidates q
ranged alphabetically according to t