Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-02-04

| At the Republican State EsavenHen
/ held in the City of Charleston ON tAs
9Th and sth Of Jury. 1sAs, it declared
i IN favor Of a direct primary efessioa
| method OF making nominations in the
following language:
I'VE favor what is known - the d.
| rect primary election method Of max
| ing nomination as substantially ineor-
porated in Senate Bill ia introduced
at the last regular session Ct the Leg
| islature, whereby all candidates OF all
political parties for all elective Offices
| shall be nominated. But as this will
| be radical departure in this State, it
/ may be wise to leave the nomination
Of county tickets optional as TO vheth
| er by primary or other method as
| the proper party committee in the
county may determine. But in 10
event should any primary be held ex-
| cert under State or county officers
and under the State laws governing
elections, and all regular primaries of
all parties should be held on the same
! date, fixed by statute"
And the Democratic party meeting
| in convention in the same city, and
only a few weeks thereafter, reflected
| the sentiment of vast majority Of
the voters of that party IN the State in
| these words;
We believe that all nominations
for public office, State and local,
should be made by general primary
election, and pledge ourselves to the
enactment and enforcement Of such
law
Every member of this Legislature
belongs to one or the other OF these
two great parties, and is therefore
committed and pledged by his party to
vote for a law that will give TO the
people of the Stete the same privilege
TO express their preferences for Aomi-
nations that they now have for re-
cording their choice of candidates for
office at the general election. II This
law hope you will carefully safe
guard the right OF the voter by pro-
yiding proper penalties for violation
thereof IA candidate who uses cor
rupt methods to obtain a nomination
should not be declared a nominee, and
If the violation is not known until
after his election then he should for
felt his office. No man should he per-
mftted to hold an office when his GER
tificate of election is tainted VITA
fraud or corruption, and every voter
VIII knowingly and wilfully violates
the election laws should be disfraR-
chised.
believe l am somewhat familiar
with the sentiment Of people Of this
State in relation to a primary election
law, AID because of this knowled ge [
confidently expect the enaetme Mt by
this Legislature of a law that will
meet with popular approval
Submission OF the Prohibition Amend
ment
You will doubtless have before You
for consideration resolution propos-
ing an amendment to our constitu-
ton prohibiting the manufacture and
sale or intoxicating liquors within this
State. This is another important sub
iect on which the people have express
ed themselves through the two lead
ing parties of the State. AS 7 under
stand it the question is not whether
the manufacture and sale of intoxicat-
ing liquors is right or wrong, or
whether or act it is best prohibit the
sam but the thing you must decide
by your action is wheteher or not the
people have a right to amend their
organic law whenever they may de-
sire to do So. am glad to say that
beth Of the leading parties OF this
State have made clear and unequiy-
ocal declarations or this subject. and
If your votes are u be governed by
the will OF the majority Of the people
OF your respective part es there is
only one course left open to yop. Sew
eral years ago n mommoth pet1tioh
containing thousands of NAMES Of citi-
zens Of this State was filed with pre-
vious Legislature demanding that they
he given the privilee of voting upon
an amendment to the constitution or
that character Two legislatures
have failed to record the necessary
two-thirds majority in favor of the
submission of an amendment, and af-
ter the first failure the Democratic
rarity in convention assembled adopt
cd the following as one among the
first planks Of its platform:
THE right Of the people to assem-
BILE in a peac able manner to consult
for the common good, to Instruct their
representatives CT apply for redress Of
grievances is assured to them by the
Bill of Rights, and whenever it shall
please them to proffer by petition re-
quest for submission to them for their
approval or rejection any alteration
or change in the Constitution, such re-
quest. whatever may be the individual
opinion of one of those to whom such
request is proffered. should be grant
ed, unless the alteration be SD plainly
al variance with Republican govern