The Detroit times., 1911-01-24
POSTAL PRIMARY
TO PICK PRESIDENT
People Get Chance to Name Candi-
dates and Force Nominations on
All Parties in 1912.

WASHINGTON, JAN. 24.-The
progressive federation has evolved
plan to give the American people
chance to choose their next presi-
dent.
Under the present system the Am
erlcan peopl hav a chanc to choose
merely between a few candidates. The
bosses of the big parties choose two
men for president. One or the otehr
Of these will be elected. The people
choose between the two.
The progressive federation proposes
to give the people chance not only
finally to elect some candidate
RuT ALSO TO DECIDE WHAT MEN
SHALL BE CANDIDATES.
The plan is to give all progressive
voters OF both major parties q chance
to register their first, second and third
choice for presidential candidate,
while at the same time pledging to
vote only for progressive delegates
TO convention-delegates pledged to
vote first, last and all the time for
one or the other OF the three progress
sives finally settled upon by tn epos-
tai ballot as the first, second and
third choice of the party.
The progressive federation Is made
up of men who have been long on
the progressive firing line. Most OF
them are editors OF progressive
periodicals. George II. Shibley, presi-
dent of the Peoples Rule league Of
America, is chairman of the commit
tee that sends out the announcement
calling for postal ballot. Here are
some of the other names that ap-
pear with Mr.. Shibley's:
Lincoln Steffens.
DR. c. F. Taylor,
Burton j. Hendricks.
II. Fl. Mcclure,
Richard Lloyd Jones,
x Louis +. Post,
&. S. Mcclure,
George Kibbe Turner,
Norman Hapgood,
Byron w. Holt,
The plan for the postal ballot is
thus outlined in the announcement
sent out by the committee:
AT the next primary election with
in the two great parties tn eprogres-
sive voters, who comprise the de-
cided majority Of the electorate, will
wish to elect really progressive dele
gates and pledge them.
"Heretofore no easily operated sys-
tenn for doing this MAS existed. The
difficulty Is that usually the candi-
dates for delegates to the county CON
ventions are not pledged for nation
al candidate: or that the pledge il
merely for fayorite son, leaving the
final delegates unpledged as soon as
the first ballot is over To enable
the voters of 1912 to overcome these
difficulties we propose the immediate
use of a preliminary postal ballot by
the progressive voters, and a pledge
by them as to their first, second and
third choices for president in 1912.
Together with their expressions on
presidential candidates, We ask that
progressive citizens forward to the
federation, Washington,
the following, giving signature, ad-
dress and voting precinct or ward:
The Pledge.
pledge that for the coming
two years ] will attend the cleo
tions within my party, unless
unavoidably prevented, and that
In 1912 I will vote only for
pledged progressive delegates
who have declared for a first
choice, a second choice and
third choice, for presidential
nominee.
The widespread use Of this pre-.
liminary postal ballot, followed by
two or more additional ones before
March 1, 1912. is expected to result
in a general agreement as to which
three Of the progressive presidential
in each party should be
named at the primary election. They
will be named by voting for pledged
candidates for the office Of
delegate TO the county conventions
and to the national conventions.