The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-07-10
FRANK E. HOWE. Editor and Pub
BENNINGTON, VT, JULY 10, 1912
FOR DIRECT PRIMARIES

| straight out declaration IN favor OF
giving the voters a chance to make
their own nominations instead OF
turning the job over to politicians
who may or may not carry out the
wishes of the people.
1t is inevitable that a direct pri
mary system of making nominations
will be placed on the statute book OF
Vermont in the near future. In the
recent governorship campaign both
the candidates for governor declared
emphatically in favor of it and all
over the country the primary system
is superceding the old caucus and
convention method.
1t puts the rank and file of the
voters in control Of their own affairs
and, while it is not perfect, it is one
of the steps which must sooner OF
later be taken and Vermont should
not lag along in the tail of the pro
cession. During the past few months
we have had enough light on the sub
ject so that it will now be possible
to enact a law free from those abuses
that have proved its worst handicap
in some of our sister states.
The direct primary system is sys-
TEN whereby the voters go tc their
regular polling places and vate by
secret ballot for their choice for par.
ty nominations just as we now vote
at regular elections. a voter goes to
the polls and asks the clerk for q
ballot of the party of which he is a
member. In some states, registra
ton by party is required. In others
the voter merely declares his affilia
ton, subject in some cases to accep
lance by the. party committee if he
is challenged In other places, he
is reuired to swear to his intention
of voting with that party at the com
ing election.
1t is urged against this feature OF
the primary system that it does not
allow independent voting Granted,
but neither does any other system OF
nomination. When a man goes to
party caucus he thereby publicly
declares his utilization with that party
just as emphatically as he does by
asking for party ballot at a prim-
airy election. II is right and proper
that he should declare his intention
to vote with a party If he wants to
take a hand in the party nominations.
a well ordered primary system for
Vermont should provide that all
state, congressional and county can
didates be nominated on the same
day and in presidential years, the
delegates to the national convention
should be elected at the same time.
BY thus combining all the contests
and voting on them all at one time,
the greatest amount of interest would
be secured to get out a large vote
and make the expression really re
preventative of party sentiment.
= Under the present caucus system a
man goes to, say the caucus. to elect
delegates to the state convention. He
has generally a chance to vote for
two sets of delegates one pledged to
one candidate for governor and the
other pledged to another candidate
for governor. He has no way of ex-
pressing his choice for lieutenant
governor. secretary of state, auditor
treasurer or attorney general. He
is in fact, DISTINGUISHED on these i'm
portant places and must trust the
matter entirely to the delegates cho-
sen on the governorship issue. but
whose attitude is commonly entirely
unknown as to other places on the
ticket.
Possibly too, the delegates to the
state convention are also going to
represent the town at the district
convention. Especially do the small
towns send only one set of delegates.
In a case like this. the delegates do
as they think best and the voter has
been robbed of his right to a voice
in the contest
Relative to the county caucus. the
situation is the same. The chief con
test may be over one Of the senator
ships and the delegates will be chos-
en- on that issue alone. The voters
have nothing to say as to the other
places on the county ticket though
they are just as important The sci
ection is left open to trades and
dickering
Under a good primary system, all
these candidates would be voted for
at one time and the voter would have
a chance to vote for his choice for
every single nomination on the state.
congressional and county tickets
Doesn't il stand TO reason that il is
a better system? Il takes the bust
ness out OF the hands Of profession
al manipulators and interested par
ties with selfish ends 10 further. Hav-
ing all the contests on one day would
bring out a large vote which is sell
dom attained under the caucus sys-
TEN. except in a very bitter contest