Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1911-05-12

utilization and votes in his party primary
he then appears to be in the identical po-
sition, legally and morally, Of person who
votes under this law in a primary in
county.
For the nomination of candidates for
State Offices by direct vote in most of the
States where the system exists, the ex-
pense and labor Of two primaries are often
required to arrive at majority nominees,
which is generally insisted ueon. On the
other hand, it has frequently occurred in
States where nominations are made by
conventions that no candidate has an in
structed majority, with the result that
leading candidates are often defeated and
nominations of dark horses are effected
through methods as to which the party
voters have no voice whatever. The sys-
TEN Of preferential voting. with the elimi-
nation feature, provided by the law, even
where it may fail to secure the nomina-
ton of leading candidates, is designed to
secure the nomination Of candidates upon
whom the minds Of majority of the voters
represented by the several units have
united, the compromise candidates being
thus chosen through the action of the
voters themselves rather than by their
uninstructed representatives, acting under
influences that may never be known.
The essential object Of primary law is
to secure popular control on some or any
basis and by some or any fair instrument
tally.
There are several alleged defects in the
law which do not in fact exist One Of
these is that an excess of cross marks in
any particular group of candidates will
not vitiate the entire ballot in the counties,
but that the law is silent as to the effect
surplusage as to the county ballot, the
whole matter being covered as to both
counties and city by Section II, Act SO of
the Code as amended by Chapter 576, page
1902 of Acts of 1908, which is by this law
made applicable to primaries as well as
general elections.
Another Misrepresentation seems to be
that the law omits provision for the desig-
nation by candidates of their delegates to
run in the primaries. The whole theory of
the law is that any one may run for the
position of delegate and the number of
the delegates is fixed by the party usage
or the managing bodies. The delegates
elected are bound in respect to all candi-
dates to follow the instructions of the
voters, without regard to the individual
preferences of the delegates
The delegates to the State conventions
are elected by direct vote of the people in
each county and legislative district of Bal
timore. Under the law the State cOnven-
ton has two classes of duty, one to express
ministerially the directions of the voters
as to choice of State candidates the other
to organize itself, placing the MANAGEMENT
of party affairs upon an expressly demo-
cratic basis, and as a deliberative body,
to select delegates to national conventions
and presidential electors, and also, most
important function, to elect the managing
body Of the party for the State.
The law reserves to the city and the |
counties the power to choose by direct vote |
the managing bodies of the city and coun-
ties, respectively.
In justice to some critics of this law, it
should be remembered that many of them
are not familiar with the difficulties that |
were in the way of its passing the leeisla-
ture
AS to the provisions of the law itself. |
which cover some twenty pages, they in |
corporate all the safeguards and depend
upon the General Election Laws, which |
Acts cover about one hundred pages of the
Code and have received many construc-
tons from Attorney Generals and courts.
This constitutes body of laws well cal |
culated to confuse anyone not familiar
with the entire system, and especially any
one without experience under the former
primary act for the counties.
1t is matter of congratulation under
all the circumstances. and the practical
Jeffersonianism of the statute, that there
have not been more objections raised to
the law.
1t is not unreasonable to expect that the
general provisions of the law will operate
as successfully throughout the State as its
special provisions have operated in the
recent primaries in Baltimore City