Omaha daily bee., 1912-08-25
DOOR SHUT TO BULL MOOSES
Harrington's Opinion is That Third
Party Cannot Get on Ticket.
MUST PREPARE BEFORE PRIMARY
emo Citizen viii Try to Uphold Such
Law Except Political Trick
sters," Asserts "AIike'' in
WrathfuI Voice.


That under the present election laws Of
Nebraska no way exists to put the new
party ticket on the orric:ai ballot In
November is the deliberate conclusion OF
Mike" Harrington. If Harrington, how
ever, is correct the proposed convention
Of bull moosers called to nominate cleo
toral, state and congressional tickets will
all go for naught, because their nominees
could have their names filed only by
petition.
The Harrington opinion, over his Sig
nature. and under the caption THE
Presidential Tangle In Nebraska" is as
follows:
THE purpose Of election laws ought to
be to permit the voter to express In
simple and clear way his judgment as to
candidates and issues. Election laws
should not attempt to give any preference
or advantage to any party or any candl-
date over another. The condition of our
election laws in Nebraska is peculiarly
unfortunate AS 1t stands today you can
not, in my Judgment. organize new
party and get its party name upon the
election ballot unless such new party
has been organized before the primary
election. Ordinarily It is only after nomi-
nations have been made that the people
can tell whether new party Is needed
and yet at the very time when they ought
10 ha fraa 10 avarciSo ne Y,ryilo1A of
organizing new party and having the
party name placed on the election ballot
they are denied this right by our present
election laws No citizen will try to up-
hold SUCH a law except political
trickster.
Separate Ticket Honest Way.
IT believe 1t to be the general desire Of
Nebraska progressives to nominate and
vote for progressive ticket from top to
bottom, but they are handicapped by our
election laws. A dispute arises as to
whether the electors on the republican
ticket in case they are elected should
vote for Mr. Roosevelt or for Mr.. Taft
This causes ill-feeling between neighbors
which should be wholly unnecessary in
order to let each express his views. Mr.
Taft claims to be at least the technical
nominee of the republican party. Mr.
Roosevelts friends claim that a vast
majority OF Nebraska republicans and
indeed Of the republicans Of the United
States were for his nomination and that II
the matter could have been submitted to
direct primary the nation over Roose.
welt would have been nominated But at
this time Mr.. Roosevelt has parted COM
pany with the old-time republican or
ganization. and is the nominee of a new
party.ed dis friends want to build up this
new party and they want to vote for men
who will stand out in the open as repre-
sentatives of the party whose candidate
Mr.. Roosevelt Is. But In Nebraska,
those Of us who are for Roosevelt have
no way Of doing so except by voting the
republican ticket. The real name under
which we vote counts for little. But It Is
not fair to either Mr. Roosevelt or Mr..
Taft to have eight electors, of whom six
are for Roosevelt and two for Taft. Mr.
Roosevelt is entitled to have eight can
didates for electors who are for, him and
Mr.. Taft is entitled to the same thing.
Wants Special Legislative Session.
The only way that can see to rem
edy this injustice is by having the gov
ernor call special session OF the legis-
lature. A measure ought to be easily
agreed on between friends OF the differ
ent presidential candidates which will
permit the organization of a new party
after the primaries and before election,
and in this way we could settle these en-
tire differences. The expense of a. special
session of the legislature for such pur-
pose would not be large and would be
money unusually well expended. It is
true that the legislature is democratic,
but the request for law which will
permit the supporters Of both Mr.. Roose-
welt and Mr.. Taft to cast fair vote on
election day is SO reasonable that the
legislature could hardly refuse to pass 1t,
and If the democratic legislature should
refuse to pass such measure the friends
of both Taft and Roosevelt would be per-
fectly justified in joining together to de-
feat the entire democratic ticket. And
the matter does not stop with presiden-
tial electors. 1t applies equally to mem
bers Of congress. There is bare posi-
bility that the election Of president may
be thrown into the house of representa-
tives. Even IL Mr.. Taft should not carry
a single state. still he might have some
electors. AS it stands he might have two
In Nahrn lro rnicrhk I,n.r al oh In