The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-11-16
Preferential System of
VotingPuts HimAhead
on Test.
JUSTICE HUGHES
CLOS e SECOND
Municipal League Gets Explana-
ton of Plan by Which So
called Primary Evils Are
Elimin ate DIR. Levy
Talks on Local Health
Problems.

woodrow Wilson received a major.
ny OF the votes cast yesterday after
noon when tho National Municlpa.
League resolved itself pro tempore
INTO political convention for the pur-
iose OIL making practical application
Oh the preferential system Of voting
advocated by the first speaker OF the
AFTERNOON session. Reginald Mott Hun.
secretary OF the Cambridge Taxpayers
ASaoc!ation. IN his address on prefer
entail Voting" ir
The ballot handed to the delegates
contained the names OF the thirteen
men In the country most frequently
mentioned as presIdentiai possibilities
and included such heavyweights as
Charles y. Hughes. Champ Clark. To-
seph w. Folk, Robert M. La Toilette
woodrow Wilson. William Jennings
bryan and Theodore Roosevelt Prcsi-
dent Tait was not on the slip The
delegates were asked TO pick their
favorite for some nigh administrative
Office, and 10 indicate their second and
third choice. as provided for by the
specific form OF ballot under discus
sion
Wilson heats the Field.
The result was the election az The
New Jersey candidate. who received
almost three times as many first
choices as his ncarcs; competitor. SUI
preme Court Justicc Hughes La Fol-
lctte finished a close third. with Roose-
welt safely ensconced in fourth place
Champ Clark and Joseph ". Folk nm
isbed lnmely in NTH and sixth place.
Bryan enjoying u strangle hold on the
seventh corner in the hearta OF his
countrymen
That the slate OF thirteen did not
entirely provide FOR the cathollcity OF
taste In the convention was evidenced
by the fact that two lonesome votes
We're registered for Debs, who was not
ono OF the candidates Whatever sig
nii!cance the election may have had In
the way OF showing the political com
pleN!on OF the convention, * Was an
admira Ole experiment with tho prefer
entail ballot and convinced the voters
OF its practical usefulness
Eliminates Primary System.
This system, Hrst advocated and put
Into practice by Senator James w.
Bucklin, OF Grand Junction, Col, and
since adopted by Spokane. Wash. and
Pueblo. Col, Mr.. Hall urged, eliminates
the Primary election. with all its ac-
company!ng evils, and enables the vot-
crs automatically to get behind an ac
ceptablc candidate without compli-
Gated machinery.
Mr.. Hull. TO arrive at q majority
choice irrespective OF the number of
candidates. provided there Is any one
in the list of candidates acceptable on
any terms to "A majority. II there is
none such In the list. il is obviously
not the fault OF the preferential ball
lot Besides. we get the next best
thing. and the only thing possible with
that list of nominees, Il legitimate plu-
rality election e.. plurality cleo
ton based OH full and free express
sion of choice by the vote in place OF
the customary one in which voter
with only one choice must vote against
all the candidates but one. although
there may be several excellent names
in the list"
The speaker presented statistical
tables of the Spokane election under
this system, showing that 1t is en-
tirely practicable in large centres of
population. The address made n deep
impression, and was freely discussed
by the delegates.
Municipal Health.
Municipal finances and health formed
the general topic of discussion at the
morning session of the league yester
day. which convened at $50 o'clock,
with William Dudley Foulke presiding.
business began with the reading of
the report of the committee on city
finances and budgets, by George Burn
ham, Jr., OF Philadelphia. lie was fol-
lowed by DR.. w. w. Willoughby. Of
the Presidents Commission OF Econ
omy and Efficiency. who presented the
report OF the committee on program
for the Improvement of methods of
municipal administration. Both re-
ports as well as the addresses on kin
dred topics which followed. were part
OF n series of papers designed by the
league TO give the interested public
and the cities of the country q compre-
hensive statement of what has been
done and what is being done in the way
OF establishing municipal finances OF
the city upon a firm and easily under
stood basis.
The other papers OF the morning scs-
sion were "Thc Results OF the Require
ments of Uniform Reports. With Spe-
cial Reference TO Municipal Indebted
ness" by Charles +. Gettemy. director
of the Massachusetts, Bureau of Labor;
"The Duties of n Controller. With Spe
cial Reference to Independent Inspec-
ton of Municipal Work." By John NJ.
Walton, Controller of Philadelphia.
and Economy and Efficiency in NUM-
cipal Health Administration Work..
read by NJ. N. Baker, of New York In
the absence of its author, Selskar NJ.
Gum. assistant professor Of sanitary
Continued on Seventh Page.)