The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-06-06

The direct primary law seems to call
for good deal of explanation, and after
all is said and done we doubt il c great
ajority of the voters will be any wiser
than they We're before Even Hon. Her
bert M. Heath of Augusta, maker of
laws and builder of parry platforms, ad-
mits that in attempting to explain the
provisions of the primary law at Ellis
worth he ''made an grevious error" and
that suggested to him "that if lawyers
will go wrong in making out these
things, wouldn't it be the fair thing for
me to go to the trouble of at least at
tempting to straighten them OUT Ac-
cordingly he has prepared a carefully
drawn opinion, but says in conclusion:
My opinion is not final here, any more
than in business. Many of these ques-
lions puzzled me at first. / can we'll
understand why many voters are puz-
zled. have tried to answer them accu
rately, after much careful study, and
hope am right.
Mr.. Heath is a great lawyer, he is
credited with framing many of the laws
of the State, and is said to have aided in
the construction of the present primary
law. If, after admitting making one
''grevious error" he concludes care
fully drawn opinion" by admitting that
he has been ''puzzled" himself and hopes
that he is right, what is the average
voter to do about it? Will he follow Mr..
Heath's rulings, hoping they are right;
or will he stay away from the polls, as
did many after the enactment of the
Australian ballot law? The result of the
pri mary elections elsewhere indicates
that he will follow the latter course. In
the States in which presidential pri-
maries nave been held not one third of the
party vote was cast, and the results can
hardly be accepted as a full expression
of public sentiment.
This much is evident. The primary
law calls for two elections-two contests
at the polls-thus doubling the expense
to the State and to the candidate. 1t is
openly charged, and not denied, that in
some States voters at the primaries were
bought at wholesale. In New York
State it is said that an amount was ex-
pended for one candidate that averaged
81 for each voter. The Lewiston Sun
says: mighty interesting when this
primary business gets to be so costly
only Rockefeller and Carnegie can stay
through from the first primary election
to the election that elects" The Spring
field Republican says that the direct
presidential primaries have "made it
necessary for candidates for the nominal
ton to take the stump in April and con-
tinue there until practically the end of
May" that the expenditures of money
have been scandalous, and the ''cam-
paign more reprehensible in many of its
methods and agencies than has ever be-
fore been witnessed in the United
States" And this is the name of re-
form!
In Maine the direct primary law re-
quires enrolment of voters only in towns
or cities Of two thousand inhabitants or
more; in places of less than two thou
sand nothing is necessary except to have
your name on the check list. In Belfast
you can enroll with the city clerk by
signing blank form as Republican or
Democrat, and you will receive at the
polls on election day a ballot of the
party for which you have declared. You
cannot claim to be Republican while
voting the Democratic ticket, or vice
versa, and that is the best feature of the
law; and it would do you no good to write
in or paste in Republican name on a
D emocratic ballot or vice versa, as each
party ticket is counted by itself. That
seems to be about all it is really
necessary to say about this new election
law.
EAST SEARsMoNT.
Edgar P. Mariner Of Center Belmont spent
May Both with his sister, Mrs. Leslie G. Marri-
ner.. y. George B. Dyer Of Belfast was in town
June 1st.. Mrs. Albert Mariner and Mrs.
Ernest Piper Of Belfast called on friends and
relatives in town May 18th, ,Arad and Henry