The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-03-14
BALLOTS ARE SENT TO PRESS
City Clerk Will Follow Opinion of City
Attorney Regardless of Action in
Other Cities Attorney Rules on Fill
ing of No Expense Afidavits.

4
ney Calvin Stewart, City Clerk George
W. Harrington has given orders for the
hprinting of ballots to be used at the
| primary election without making any
provision for second choice selections
and there may be an effort on the part
of some of the candidates to force the
re-printing Of the. ballots. The city
clerk took the matter up with the city
attorney some time ago and got the
opinion that the "Mary Ann bill did
not relate to city elections. This view
is not taken by officials holding the
same position in other cities and in
every other large city in the state the
voters will have the chance of register
ing the first and second choice on can
didates for Office.
In Milwaukee the ballots for the pri-
mary election had been printed when
the city clerk confronted with an in
junction against the use Of the ballots
ordered them destroyed and directed
ballots providing for second choice
prepared Similar conditions prevailed
in Sheboygan and ManitoWoc and La
/ Crosse, Green Bay, Menasha and other
cities in the state have printed the
ballots providing for the second choice
selection. The Interpretation Of the
law would affect every place where
! there are more than two candidates for
a nomination. The case that is caus-
ling the most trouble in Kenosha is the
nomination of man for city treasurer
on the Democratic ticket. 1t is held
by one of the candidates that the sec
ond choice law is most important in
this case and while he has not made a
formal demand on the city clerk that
the ballots be printed in accordance
with the new law it is known that he
has consulted an attorney and the mat
ter may come up later.
In speaking Of the matter City Clerk
IldIIlHStOu Sdiu. AeN0 olHiP1y Iva
lowed the opinion Of the city attorney.
In former years when / appealed to
the attorney general for an opinion in
regard to the municipal election he has
always referred the matter to the city
attorney and [ feel that | have taken
the proper course this year. 1t would
be absolutely impossible to change the
Y form Of the primary ballots and get
them out within the time demanded by
the law
Just what will be done in the mat
ter is a good deal of problem and it
is possible that some formal order will
be served on the clerk to force q
] change in the form of the ballot. Other
offices that would be affected would be
the Republican and Democratic nomi-
nation for alderman in the third ward
and the Democratic nomination of al
derman in the sixth ward.
The city attorney has sent written
opinion to the city clerk in which he
4 holds that it is not necessary for can
didates having no expenses in the cam
paign to file statements with the clerk.
He holds, however, that any candidate
who has actual expense and who OBJ
Ihgates himself to pay for anything in
connection with the primary must file
a statement next Saturday. He has in
structed the clerk that the names OF
candidates who have expenses and who
fail to file an account must necessarily.
Ibe left off the official ballot to be
voted at the general election. In or
der to be perfectly safe it is certain
that majority Of the candidates on
both tickets will file accounts or affida-
Wits that they have had no expense.