Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-02-11
Of NEW LAW
IN FIGHT TO FILL
SEN KEANS PLACE
Primary Act of 1907 Will Have
Initial Trial in Choice of
His Successor.
Especial to the Newark start

TRENTON, Feb. u.-How far-reach-
ing will be the effect of the law OF
1907, providing for the expression of the
voters at the primary election of their
choice for United States Senator ana
also for q statement by tho candidates
for the Legislature as TO whom they
will support in the election of a Uni
ted States Senator? This question is
beginning to stir the political leaders
of The State because the law will have
its first test his year.
The statute only applies to the year
preceding the election of a United
States Senator, and as the choice of Il
successor to john Kean in the upper
branch of Congress next year will be
the first since the law was passed, this
year will see its initial trial.
OF course the law was put on the
statute books to give the people a di-
rect influence In the choice of their
representative in the Senate at Wash
Ington. the idea being that the course
provided would be the e thing to the
election of u Senator by the direct vote
of the people, a thing not possible
under the Constitution. That was the
campaign cry which led to the passage
of the act. Just how far it will have
that effect is a matter of considerable
conjecture.
In the first place, the law is not
mandatory, although 1t is believed both
the leading political parties will avail
themselves of its provisions. Section 1
provides that it shall be lawful for the
voters Of any political party to express
at the primary election their preference
for United States Senator. This gives
the voters the legal ground for so
balloting next September.
Must Get 1000 Names.
Any member of q political party may
become a candidate for Endorsement
for United States Senator upon tho FL
ing of q petition with the Secretary OF
State, signed by not less than 1000
voters, duly qualified, Of the party nam
ing the candidate. The petition must
be sworn to by two of the signers
certifying that all the signatures are
genuine, and 1t must name a candidate
duly qualified to hold the office of Uni
ted States Senator. The Secretary of
State is required to file a copy of all
petitions with the county clerks, and
they In turn with the municipal clerks
n In that way the names get on the
primary ballots.
Above the names of tho candidates
the ballot will contain The n.ords "uro
vored ror Jynited state ca,atorn Tha
secretary of state IL reonired to tah-
ulate the results after ba reoeives tbo,,
from the county clerks and certify ana
publicly before the Legisla-
lure meets the votes received by each
candidate. The ce%rtifcation of the to-
tn1 Nntn ID m pn 10 nanb ,1,4r.I1r -
the Legislature which Is to elect the
senator
The second part OF the proposition is
the statement which the legislators are
to sign pledging how they will vote on
the senatorship. This provision of the
law is not mandatory, either. Each
candidate for the Legislature next fall
may sign either one of two statements.
One pledges the legislator to vote for
that candidate for United States sem
ator who received the highest number
OF votes in the State at the primaries.
The other is a pledge for the candidate
who got the most votes in the county.
Either pledge Is to be made without
regard TO the personal preference of
the lawrnaker signing 1t, n the tate
ment signed is to be attached to the
acceptance OF the nomination as SEN
ator or nssemblyman. Thus the voters
VIII know In advance of the regular
election IN November how their respec-
i've candidates for the Legislature. or
at least some of them. stand on the
United States senatorship question.
To Flee, Seven Senators.
seven senator's aro "a ba olactod newt
Noyenoher-in Atlantic perror Gun
berland. Hudson, Mercer @Iorris and
Ocean counties nven II tho cardidotos
in all these counties takn odyantago If
The law. there will bo fourteen -
pledged senator's newt year when tho
Joint meeting NJ tho Toyis1atnro 10
Gins its balofinr for tho man VIII win
iii six wears in tho senate Of yyosbN
iputon Thase win ha Toy,is 90 n,,r
hnr,ton. dlav ~ C,,nden. ua,d &c