Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-11

several political parties.
At the proposed primaries the electors
of the District are to express their hr s
and second choice for nominees for Pres
ident and Vice President, elect delegate
to the national party conventions ant
elect national committeeman. 1t Is pro
vided, in the first section:
To Make Two Choices.
I'm the years when q President and
Vice President of the United States art
to be elected there shall be held in the
District of Columbia on the second Tues
day in April a primary nominating cleo
ton, at which the qualified electors OF
the political parties subject to this ac'
shall have the opportunity to vote, or
ballots provided for that purpose, FOL
their first and second choice among those
aspiring to be candidates of their re
spective parties for President and Vice
President Of the United States, shall cleo
their party delegates to their nationa
conventions and shall elect their nationa
committeeman.
1.-The names Of the aspirants in eact
such party for election for the Office OF
President, for the Office Of Vice Presi
dent of the United States, for natiOna
committeeman and for delegates to theil
national conventions shall be printed OF
the party nominating ballot provided fol
that purpose. and the ballot shall o.
marked and the votes shall be counted
canvassed and returned as provided
herein.
s'E,very qualified elector shall have {
right at such primary nominating cleo
ton to vote for his first and secont
choice for as many candidates for ma
tional delegates for his party as there
District of Columbia, and each qualified
elector shall have right to vote To-
his first and second choice for nationa
committeeman of his party"
The first and second choice" feature o.
the bill is set forth in the following sec
ton:
1.-The person receiving more than one
half of the total number Of ballots cas-
at such election as the first choice OF
the electors for any office shall be elect
ed to that office; provided, that II nc
candidate shall receive such majority
of the first choice votes for such office
then a canvass shall be made of the sec
ond choice votes received by the candi
dates for said office; said second choice
votes shall then be added to the frs
choice votes received by each candidate
for such office. and the candidate re.
ceiving the largest number OF said mrs.
and second choice votes. in the aggre'
gate, shall be elected thereto.
A further provision is that a tie be
tween two or more candidates Is to b.
decided in favor Of the one having thu
greatest number Of first choice votes.
Males Only to Vote.
All male citizens of the United State
twenty-one years Of age or over, ant
those who have declared their intention
to become citizens one year next proceed
ing any primary nominating election
who have been actual bona fide resident
of the District of Columbia for at leas
a year, it is specified, shall be qualified
voters.
Every delegate from the District to
national convention to nominate candi-
dates for President and Vice President OF
the United States, it Is provided, mus,
subscribe to an oath of office that he viii
uphold the Constitution and the laws OF
the United States, and that he will, as
such delegate, to the best of his judg-
ment and ability, faithfully carry out the
wishes and preferences Of the electors OF
his political party in the District of Co
lumbia as expressed by said electors a,
such primary nominating election.
To the board of Commissioners o
the District is assigned the duty OF
dividing the District into precincts at
least ninety days before the primary.
provision being made that no election
precinct shall contain more than 40O
voters. The Commissioners are to APP
a
register voters in a general District
register, the period for registration be-
ing from January Is to pm. March
Is of the year in which the primary
occurs.
candidate to get his name on the Of
fetal ballot, must have filed with the
District Commissioners, at least hfteer
days before the primary, certified nom
ination paper, signed, in 1912. by at leas
500 voters of the District, and In sue
1Ac0 <ho MOI
cent. nor more than 10 per cent. Of the
total vote Of his party at the preceding
primary. Such nomination paper, 1t Ii
provided, must have been circulated not
more than sixty days prior to its date o.
fling.
Commissioners to Conduct Primary.
The expenses of the primary are to be
paid out Of the general revenues OF the
District, and election Judges. clerks. can
vassers and other necessary officers are
to be appointed by the District Commits
sioners. who are empowered to make sucf
rules and regulations as may be neces
sary. in addition to the provision of the
act itself, for the proper conduct OF
the primary.
Among the advocates of the direct
primary system-of the Oregon plan IN
particular-it has been urged tnat tne
primary system now used FOR nominal
ing MANY candidates for Congress, both
REPRESENTATIVES and senators, should be
extended so that party primaries could
be held throughout the country for nomi'
mating candidates for President and Vice
President of the United States. Among
those who have decried boss-ruled con
ventions of all kinds. it has been urged
that such system would enable the
people to select their officers and would
sound the death-knell Of the political ma
chine.
of direct primaries. and he proposes to
try out the direct nominating primary
plan. as regards the head federal Off
GERS in the District. in the hope that its
merits will be proved and 1t Will be
adopted in the states.
Mgr. J. II. Then Named Bishop.