Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-01-14
Nebraska
WAIT REVERSES HIS RULING
Permits Names for Presidential Pref
erenee to Be Taken Off Ballot.
BOWS TO MEANING OF THE LAW
New Tack VIII Block Plans of Some
Politicians Who Have Been
seeking to Emsarass
Few Men.

LINCOLN. Jan. l2-tSpecial l-Secretary
OF State " ait has decided TO take another
tack on the matter Of filings for the pri-
mary ballot, in case the attorney general
holds the proposed action is legal II
appears that certain politicians have
started in on an endeavor to make q
farce out Of certain features of the law,
taking advantage Of a strict interpreta-
ton Of some Of its provisions. and TO this
the secretary excerpts.
For instance names have been filed for
IDENTIFY never would have been done had
1t not been for the ruling that In the alb
sence Of any provision for Withdrawing a
name once entered except with the con-
sent Of the man making the filing such
name could not be withdrawn. That such
a contingency was never contemplated by
the trainers of the law is apparent TO Mr..
Wait. and therefore he has come TO the
that IL the party most directly
concerned desires to have the name
omitted from the ballot he should comply.
his will permit the elimination OF the
names of William J. Bryan and Theodore
Roosevelt for president and Charles Fan
ming for vice president What is fully
as much to the point 1t will prevent 9TH
ers from playing horse with the primary
ballot as is evident in the case of the
bryan and Tanning filings.
Name Twice on Ballot.
Another point In which some have con-
sidered Mr.. Wait was in error is that a
name could not appear twice on the same
ticket, even II one OF the filings was not
for an office in the strict construction
OF the term, such rs delegate to con-
veHtion. He IS OF the opinion that II
there was any question that such a dual
filing might linvalidate title to an office
It would be incumbent upon him TO stick
to what he deemed was a safe construc-
ton OF the law. but as such Is not the
case is inclined TO permit such double
filing where one OF the positions is not
a public office. His previous position wa
objected to by some candidates for stsi
office who also had a desire TO represe,
their party in the national conventio.
notably Governor Aldrich.
These reversals OF rulings will be
calculated to interfere seriously with the
plans OF a number OF politicians. Not
only will It block the plans for side
tracking Mr.. Bryan and Mr.. Tanning
but there have been persistent rumors
that the same tactics would be pursued
against a number OF other persons on
both parties II is this fact that has
induced Mr.. Wait, more than anything
else, to change his attitude, for he holds
that the primary was designed TO permit
the people to have real choice Of what
they wanted, instead OF making II an In
strument to defeat that choice.
me attorney general has the natter
under consideration and an opinion Is ex-
pected soon. s-.-a.-
Taft Meeting Monday.
Secretary Currie OF the Taft league has
everything In readiness for the meeting
OF tho committee Monday, which will
decide on the candidates for delegates
electors and national committeeman to
stand for the Taft followers on the
primary ballot. This plan was decided
on as a means OF preventing multi
nl,c,tv ~ candidates which might defeat
~. real. trtsn, NJ the voters. az Il is
c.r,sir ,ba, ths Ia FoIlette followers will
have orlv one set Of candidates. Letters
received by Mr.. Currie indicate there will
be full meeting OF the committees and
,n., IN adai,,on there will be a large
,,u,v,sr q, ronuhl,cans not members Of
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