The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-12-28
Wisconsin Law May Result
in State Having no Dele
gates to Convention.
POLITICIANS MUCH PUZZLED
Election Under Old Statute Irregular
Since New Law is Effective Before
Votes Are Cast-Rule Will Eliminate
Election of Alternates as Delegates.

CONSERVATION reigns in political cir
cles over the discovery of a TECHNICAL
ty IN the eapportionment act which
threatens to open the way for the re-
lection of the Wisconsin delegates to
national party conventions Within
the last few days members of the legis-
ture have visited Madison to ascertain
what course progressive Republicans
intend to take in the matter.
The law of 1909 provides that the
names of delegates to national con-
vention shall be certified not less
than fourteen days before the date of
the presidential primary election. I'm
der this statute the Wisconsin primary
is to be held on Tuesday, April 2,
1912, and the latest day on which
names may be submitted to the county
clerks for the purpose of making up
the ballots is March 10. Under this
law it is therefore necessary to certify
the names according to the old con-
gressional districts, as outlined prior
to the passage Of the new apportion-
ment act.
Sections and 4 Of Chapter SIP,
laws of 1907, provide for the selection
of delegates according to congressional
districts. One day prior to the time
of the election of delegates will be
held, the new apportionment act goes
into effect. This rearranges the con
gressional districts and creates new
districts. Thus delegates to the ma
tional conventions elected under the
old law might be held to be irregular
inasmuch as the new law went into
effect before the vote actually was
held.
Moreover, the time for certifying
the names to be voted upon at the
April election is fourteen days before
the election, and inasmuch as only one
day will elapse before the new appor-
tionments law, creating new congress
sional districts, goes into effect, not
only would such certifcation be illegal
but it would be impossible of realiza-
tion in time for the election.
Apparently the law is quite clear
upon this matter. After providing
explicitly that two delegates shall be
elected for each political party in each
congressional district and four dele
gates at large at the April 2 election,
chapter 483, laws of 1909, provides
that "not less than fourteen nor more
than twenty days before an election
to fill any public office, the secretary
of state shall transmit to each county
clerk certified list containing the
names and postof6ce address Of each
person for whom non-partisan nomina-
tion papers or nomination papers for
delegates to national conventions, have
been fled in his office and entitled to
be voted for at such election y ~
Obviously this requi4 IS that the sec
rotary of state certify the names OF
candidates according to the old ap-
portionment act The concluding Sec
ton Of the new apportionment act
(chapter $50, section 7, provides:
"This act shall take effect and be in
force from and after April /, 1912. -
Thus the old law under which the
secretary of state would certify the
names to the county clerks would not
be in effect by the time the voters
were given an opportunity to express
their choice.
To escape the difficulty, one poll
tician has suggested that in accordance
with chapter 512, laws of 1907, sec
ton 5, alternates might be selected
by the state central committee. But
inasmuch as the national Republican
committee has decided that except in
those states having primary elections,
delegates to the national convention
shall be selected by the caucus sys-
tenn, it appears quite plain that, as
affecting the Republicans, deiega-
ton of alternates would not be seated
in conformity with the committee s
ruling.
The situation is embarrassing, partic-
ularly to the Republicans, among
whom the Taft and the LaFollette men
are fighting for delegates and to the