Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-05-13
THE MARYLAND PRIMARY LAW
DISCUSSED BY AUTHOR OF BILL


iected to the nom nation Of their local
| candidates and representatives In the
Legislature by a dirct vote. This
had to be met by continuing the con
venton system for these officers in
the FIVE specified counties, namely,
Howard, Washington, Worcester,
Somerset and Wicoml co, but this local
convention Is subject to being dis
continued by referendum vote in
each OF these counties this summer
Provisions Of the Law.
! THE published statements Of the
law as 10 these excepted counties
have been uniformly incorrect. The
provisions of the law apply to these
counties In every respect save the
nominations OF the local officers and
members OF the Legislature. The del
egates from these counties to State
conventions and also the managing
bodies are elected there under the
general provisions OF the law, with
preferential voting and popular in
strtIctions as elsewhere in the State
and even the members CT the county
convention which nominate those
local candidates are selected at the
same tine by a direct popular vote.
"a difficulty as to absolute uni
fcrmity in the present operation ef the
law was encountered in another fea-
ture The registration books in the
counties differed from these of the
city in that the party affiliations CT
the voters had never been registered
in the counties. The burden and ex-
pense Of a new registration had to be
avoided This difficulty was overcome
by permitting the voters to give their
affiliations orally at the time of re-
ce.ving their party ballots for voting,
d feature which continues until the
next general registration, when Bdlti-
n1ore city and the counties wifi be
subject to the same requirements as
to party affiliations.
Analogy in City AffiTiatio1.
when person registers his party
affiliat,on in the city he is not adj
vsed under the law that he may vote
IN a primary and later vote against
his party at the general election. He
is advised that the act of registering
his affiliatictn does not bind him to
vote his party ticket at general lee
items. There is nothing to prevent
an affiliated person in the city from
actually joining some other party by
taking the stump or otherwise before
the primary occurs. but If he does
follow up the act of utilization and
votes WI his party primary he Then
appears to be in the identical posi-
ton. legally and morally. of a person
who votes under this law in a PR
mary in a county.
"For the nomination of candidates
for State offices by direct vote Va most
Ct the States where the system ex-
lists the expense and labor OF two
primaries is often required to arrive
at majority nominees, which Is gen
orally insisted upon. On the ether
hand, it as frequently occurs in States
where nominations are made by con-
ventions chat no candidate has an in
structed majority, with the result that
leading candidates are often defeat'd
and nominations OF dark horses are
effected through methods as to which
the party voters have no voice what
ever.
"The system of preferential voting
with the elimination feature, provided
by the law, even where it may fail to
secure the nomination Of leading can
didates, is designed to secure the
nomination of majority of the voters
! / represented by the several units have
united, the compromise candidates be
: ing thus chosen through the action OF
the voters themselves rather than by
their uninstructed representatives
acting under influences that may
never be known. The essential OBJ
I feet of a primary law is to secure
: popular control on some or any basis
and by some or amy fair instrument
/ tality.
Scouts Alleged Defects.
! "There are several alleged defects
IN the law which do not exist. One
Of these is that an excess CT cross
marks in any particular group Of
] iii ,Ki+fofa 'rn