The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-01-03

Ofdate in the pxlnAA1lC VI
ton for any Office by fling q petieion
signed by q certain per cent OF the
voters OF his party. II the noinM.
ton is for a municipal o. county once
the petition must include reelsteIeu
electors residing in at least one-nlsn
OF the voting precincts OF tne coun.s'
municipality or district AZ II ue
State or district office and the uisu
comprises more than one county. INC
petition must include electors feslolns
in each of at least one-eighth OF tne
precincts in at least two III
| the district. If it be an office 10 De
| voted for in the State at large, ue
| petition must include electors TeaoiAs
in each Of at least one-tenth OF the
nrec;ncts in each OF at least seven
counties of the State. II 1t be an once
to be voted for in a congressional dis-
trict, the petition must include eiec-
tors residing in at least one-tenth OF
the precincts in each OF at ie2St one
! fourth of the counties In the dlstr1ct
The number of signers required Is AZ
least 2 per cent OF the party vote IN
the electoral district, but not more
| than 1000 signers are required Tor q
| State or congressional Office nor more
than 500 in any other case. Petitions
must be filed for a State or district
| office at least twenty days before the
primary election, and for county or
municipal Offices fifteen days before
the election. Names of the candidates
are arranged on the ballots IN alpha
| betica1 oredr. The ballot for the Re-
| publican party is printed on white
| paper: that for the Democratic party
| on blue paper. and that for any other
liam ballot form is used In the prinna-
ries. No eIector is qualified to vote
at a party primary election unless he
has registered and designated, under
oath, his party a~ffEat1on, except that
he may register at the polls on cleo
by six freeholders of his precinct, GER
tifying to his legal qualifications, In
which affidavit he must also designate
his party affiliation.
Party Integrity Protected.
mo voter is required to designate
his party a~filiatiOn in d to vote at
the general election, but registration
Of party affliation Is q prerequisite to
participation in a party primary. This
requirement prevents the participation
Of members Of one party IN the pri-
maries Of another party. h right
of each party to choose its own CAM
didates is thus protected, n an evil
all too where restrictive par
ty primary laws are not In force is
avoided.
"Our direct-primary law further |
provides that the candidate in his Pc
ton shall, among other things, agree
to accept the nomination and will not
withdraw: and, if elected, will quail
ify as an officer implying. of course,
that he will also serve Each caudi-
date is entitled to have placed In his |
petition a statement, in not to exceed |
100 words, and on the ballot, after his |
name, a legend in not to exceed IL
words. setting forth any measures or
principles he especially advocates.
In case of a legislators nomina-1
ton, tho candidate may. in addition
to his statement, not exceeding 100 |
words. specifying measures and prin-
c1pieS he advocates, also subscribe to
one Of two statements; but il he does
not SO subscribe. he shall not on that
account be debarred from thu ballot. |
It will be seen, therefore, that three!
courses are open to him. He may sub
scribe to Statement No. i, as follows: |
II further state to the people of
Oregon, as we'll as to the people of
my legislative district, that during my
term OF office 1 shall always vote for
that candidate for United States Sen
ator in Congress who has received the
highest lumber of the peoples votes
for that position at the general cleo
ton next preceding h election Of a
Senator in Congress, without regard
to my individual preference"
This is the most direct dealing pos
slble between the voter. and the cam
d1date The convention. the boss. the |
delegate, the party itself disappearsI
under this system as a determining
factor.
AS the object OF this paper is only
to set forth these foul outstanding
features Of modern American politics. |
let me now draw toward a conclu-
sion. It is not my purpose to argue
tor these innovations I am only set
ing them forth as the next progress
civ Cfon oyryo |
government, in which I believe and
which are to be taken throughout our
republic in the not distant future. II
am no stranger to the that
the people are not fit to rule Directly: |
mat they are ignorant, some indifer-
ent. some vena1. But the same Is
true Of convention delegates, legis1a-
tors and even United States Senators