The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1911-02-10
THE DIRECT PRIMARY.

Inc demand TOT all NOMINATIONS VI
candidates for public Office being
made directly by the people bore
fruit last year and resulted in the
passage by the Legislature of the Act
known as The Primary Election Law
The advantages, claimed by its advo-
Gates, which would result from its
adoption were doubted by this paper
and it opposed the bill. The evils we
feared which will result from nomi-
nations being made by virtue of it,
provisions, we sincerely hope will not
appear, and now that it is the law
under which all political parties must
act, it should be given fair and i'm
partial trial Nothing should be omit
ted or left undone that will help TO
get the best men nominated for office
or to see that such nominations are
openly and fairly made. To accom-
plish this, the Democratic party must
begin now to prepare for the primary
which will be held sometime next
summer
III will be a large ticket which will
be voted on that primary day, larger
ticket than at the general election,
and all parties will vote for their
candidates and make their nomina-
lions On the same day.
Persons for every public Office from
Governor to Precinct Committeeman
must be voted for, except Clerk Of the
Court and Register OF Wills, in this
county There will be many candi-
dates for the State and most of the
County Offices, for some there will, no
doubt, be none This is a situation
that ID liable to arise as well al
vacancy by death after a candidate is
nominated and should be prepared
for i'm advance.
These contingencies were antici
pated by the law and it fully covers
them, providing In section 100 X
that:
Amy vacancy which may exist in
respect to any office, delegates to
convention, or position named in this
subtitle occurring after the returns
have been canvassed and finally an
nounced or which may exist by rea-
son of there being no candidate for
the same in any such primary cleo
ton or otherwise, shall be filled as
the rules and regulations Of the gov
erning bodies for the respective par
ties i'm the counties, city or State may
now or shall hereafter provide"
Though this provision of the law is
perfectly plain, yet what are the
rules and regulations OF the govern
ing bodies, for the respective parties
in the counties, city or State ?" The
present State and County Central
Committees Of the political parties
are OF course the governing bodies in
State and county respectively, but
what are the rules and regulations"
which provide for the filling OF va
cancy which may arise through there
being no candidate for public office,
or which may result from the death
or withdrawal of a nominee ? There
are none i'm Carroll county and we
doubt If there are in any county Of
the State.
liz may be said that you could call
a convention and make the necessary
nominations. But that wequestion and
certainly delegates to that convention
could not be elected, unless the
rules and regulations" Of the party
provided for 1t, and in Carroll county
there are none.
Every political party should have
its rules and regulations providing
for the contingencies the law expects
them TO- III this il not done, the law
will not be given a fair trial and
much trouble may result. Next sum-
mer, when rival candidates are press
ing their claims and are suspicious Of
everyone and anything that they do
not do themselves, will b. too late to
get the best judgment of the party as
to what these rules should be. They
should be prepared and adopted now,
before the primary conflict begins.
And the only way for this to be
done il for a convention to be called
by the governing bodies, to which
delegates should b. elected. The
primary law although 1t does not say
expressly that rules must be adopted,
yet makes provisions for this in sec
$50 a., which provides
1t shall be lawful for all such par
Eies aforesaid to elect and hold such
party conventions which shall have
full power and authority, in all re-
SpactS whatsoever, to act i'm respect
To all matters appertaining to the Or
ganization, maintenance, conduct, af-
fairs and interests of the party, in
Baltimore City Oh in any county Of the
State"
This Section authorizes the holding
Or a convention to act upon alt things
appertaining to the organization
maintenance, conduct, affairs and in
tcrest or the party" No candidate
can be nominated by it, but rules and
regulations providing for The filling
or vacancies al well as the conduct oil
its affairs could be adopted. And this
iR evidently what wa expected and II
III ended should be done.