Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-10-28
STATEWIDE PRIMARIES
fRovE TO BE A PROBLEM
West Virginia Republican sub-com
mittee Has No Easy Task-Will
Meet November 6.

mony meeting in this city. which was
followed by the calling OF a statewide
| urinary election by the republican
state committee and the rendering Of
the designations of all federal and
state o1iceholders on the committee,
effective as soon as the plans for the
details OF the primary are complete,
has brought out much within the past
week. In every corner of the state
the committees action has been
studied and little dissatisfaction is ex-
pressed.
! Among some of the heretofore in
| surgents the fear is expressed that the
committee does not mean to tote
fair" But such sentiment is unjust,
and few moro weeks, plenty of time
to use the hammer before the cam
palgn is on, the truth of this particu-
Jar matter will be apparent Mathews.
Denham, Fleming, Hazlett and Doyle
fe7dered their designations. Few peo-
9ple who know them will doubt their
sincerity, and they will not be seen
sitting at any sessions of the com
mittee after the work of approving
pans for the primary is completed.
Some few argue that these members
should have resigned to take effect
Immediately In that case five sela-
torial districts would have had no say
tc the details or the primary plan.
The subcommittee of the state COM
mittee, who have the job of working
out the details of the coming primary
have no easy job. The committee
called statewide primary election
TO nominate the state ticket, except
judges of the Supreme Court of APP
peals. The majority of the members
Of the committee meant just what
they said. Statewide" primary, and
the republicans il general have ac-
cepted it as meaning a primary all
ever the state on the same day, the
candidates for state Office receiy ng
rue largest number of votes to be de-
clared the nominees. In that event
state nominating convention would be
unnecessary.
state nominating convention, either
republican or democratic? To deprive
the average man with taste for poll
tics of a state nominating convention
is like inhibiting the country youth
from attending Sunday school picnic
held in some shady grove on a Sat-
urday But whether or not a conyen-
tio2 is the thing for the republicans
in the next campaign is a question
open for debate
The other plan for nominating the
state ticket is to have primary cleo
| ton in every county ia the state on
! the same day but make the nagis-
terial district the unit. Cand dates
for the state ticket could submit their
candidates. to the voters in as many
counties as they desired. Delegates
to a state nominating convention
would be sent from each magisterial
district and the primary election re-
suit would be certified to the conven-
ton. Such delegates would be bound
to vote for the candidates receiving
the largest number of votes in that
| district
The latter plan is favored by Gov
ernor Glasscock and many others. H..
C. Ogden of Wheeling, is q staunch
advocate of this plan, and it was en-
dorsed at the organization Of the State
Republican Editorial Association.
Ogden. in a way purport ing to speak
TIE views of the governor, is making
hard fight for the district plan. He
| then points out some of the dangers
OF the state unit plan and the advaa-
tages of the district unit plan. He
| takes the stand that the state unit
| plan is expensive. The matter OF the
necessary. legitimate expense OF a
! statewide primary has caused many
| 20 adhere to the old convention plan
CT nominations. In the absence OF a
primary election law the party must
| stand the entire expense, and that
means the candidates must pay the
| cost of the primary = addition to the
work and expense OF getting some
! kind of a legitimate working organi-
cation in each of the 50 counties OF
the state The man with money un-
dcubtedly has al advantage.
The advocates OF the district uait
plan point out the danger of corrup-
ton under the statewide plan. And
| it is true that. in the absence OF a
primary election law, the danger OF
bribery AID other means of corruption
| exists almost on every hand.
But the advantage of the one plan
over the other Is hardly apparent. II
a candidate is to enter in every dis
trlct in every county the matter OF
expense would hardly be less THAI
with the state unit plan. Wherein
could bribery and other corruption be
more prevented under the district
plan without a primary law? Padded
returns may be less frequent, but in
general the same objections exist to
4, one plan as to the other.
The Ogden plan argues that there
under candidates need only enter in