The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-07-23
VOTERS MAY ASK
FOR ANY TICKET
An Outrage to Compel Man to Swear
Allegiance to Any Party Says
Attorney General West.

Oklahoma City, July 22.--In reply to
an article in the Muskogee Times
Democrat, which represented him as
ruling that an elector at the primary
can vote only the ticket of the party
under which he has registered, Attor-
ney General Charles Wesct today made
a vigorous denial that such is his posi-
ton and reiterates an opinion formerly
given from his office to the effect that
voter can ask for any one ticket
which he desires at the primary, re-
gardless Of past party affiliations or
lack of affiliations, although he is of
course restricted to voting for the
candidates on the one ticket which he
calls for.
The attorney generals ruling is of
particular interest just as the present
time because of the fact that very
large number of former republicans
who are now supporting Theodore
Roosevelt and the new progressive
party have registered as independ-
ents. 1t has been ANNOUNCED in various
places over the state that this would
exclude them from voting at the pri-
mary inasmuch as there is no inde-
pendent ticket in the field, but under
the attorney generals construction OF
the law they may call for any ticket
they want regardless of their registra-
ton.
The article which called forth the
latest opinion from the attorney gen.
eral was published in the Muskogee
Times-Democrat Saturday evening.
The head lines stated that West
held that an elector could vote only
the ticket of that party under which
he was registered while the body OF
the article without quoting him stated
that such was the opinion of Ben
Riley. secretary of the state election
{ board, and that Attorney General West
who was in the city, agreed with him
In letter to the editor Of the Times
Democrat, Attorney General West
says:
q do not know what Mr.. Riley's
opinion may be, but mine is quite the
contrary of the position stated thinl
that when the elector presents him
self to vote he, irrespective of pas
party affiliations. has the right to vote
any one ticket he may call for"
The opinion already given to Rep
resentative G. w. Lewis along thu
same line, which was given consider
able publicity at the time, is cited il
full for the purpose of defining th'
attorney generals position more clear
+ " and the paper is requested to cor
rect the erroneous impression givel
by its former article.
Another opinion along the same lin
and of almost equal Importance wa
given today by the attorney genera
to County Attorney J. A. Fain of Law
ton in which he holds that precinc
election inspectors are without author
ity to require an elector to make o
sign an affidavit that he will supper
the nominees of the party for who's
candidates the elector may propos
to vote at the primary.
.An attempt to enforce such re
quiremept," says the attorney genera
will be a serious criminal offenst
and should be reported to me wit
full details as well as to the count
attorney of the county in which tn
offense took place wish you woul
endeavor to learn who are the person
who caused the printing of the fori
you sent me and when and where
was done We ought not to allow a
outrage of this kind to be perpetrated