Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1913-09-20
OUR NEW POLITICS.
"South Dakota's New Politics." as Anal.
lied by the Sioux City Journal.
Richards Primary Law.

While this is scheduled as an "of
year" in South Dakota politics-"off
so far as elections are concerned
good deal of political work will have
to be done in preparation for application
next year of the new principles EN-.
bodied in the Richards primary law,
The whole South Dakota political struct.
ure will have to be reconstructed this
year If politics is to run at all smoothly
next year. The new primary law in
effect presents clean political slate
upon which the voters must begin writ.
ing anew. Whatever its effect may os II
is the intent of the law that the new
politics in South Dakota shall come
from the people. Nothing seems to be
surer than the new system is bound to
be fizzle unless the voters can be in.
terested in giving it good start.
The first duty of each voter under the
new primary law is to make formal
declaration of affiliation with the party
in whose primary he expects to partici'
pate next year. No voter who fails to
comply with the law in this regard can
take hand in making party nomina.
tions or exercising any of the new party
functions next year. To become an
active unit in party politics each voter
must register as party member before
the close of the present year. Regstra.
tion books are now in the hands of town,
ship officers and will remain there until
the last of October. Voters should ind
it convenient to enroll before that date
However, those who neglect the first
call to duty may repair their mistake by
registering at the Office of the county
auditor before the close of the year
The voter who has not enrolled as q
member of some political party before
New Years day can not sign party
nominating petitions or take any part
in party politics next year. Voters
generally have been displaying little in.
terest in party enrolment. Unless there
is an awakening on the subject the i'm.
portant subject of proposing party nomi.
nees will be left in the hands of com para.
lively small groups of enrolled mem.
bers.
The first political meetings under the
new system will be held on the frs,
Tuesday in December this year, and
they will be important ones. Mass
meetings of enrolled party voters are
to be held at the various county seats
to elect state and county majority and
minority proposal committeeman. The
committeeman thus elected are to act
for the factions in proposing nominees
to be voted on at the primary. In the
state as in the county the committee.
men will offer candidates in behalf oi
the majority and minority factions, and
the rank and file of the party will be
expected to choose between them at the
primary. Committee selections for the
state and county Offices will be made
during the first week in January. The
off ring of these states in behalf of major
ity and minority factions does not bal
independent candidates.. Any ambiti
GUS party man may project an indepen
dent candidacy by petition and have
his name placed on the ballot in compe
tition with the candidates approved by
the committees.
The primary election under the Rich
ards law will be held the fourth Tuesday
in March, which comes on the Gath O
next year AS independent nomination.
must be on file sixty days before the
primary, January 22 will be the las
day for filing nominating petitions
This means that the preliminaries fol
all pre-primary politics will have to b,
arranged this year and that the actua
campaigning must be we'll under way
shortly after the opening of the, new
year. The primaries will be over anC
the nominations made before the frs
of April, the date when primary cam
paigning was just beginning to warm VI
under the old law.
1t is to the interest of South Dakotan
of all parties that the public shall tax,
an interest in the new political system
the only one of its kind in the United
States. There is good deal of prejudic,
against it among politicians who opposed
it when it was offered for acceptance by
the voters. The voters accepted it ant
it is now up to them to give it a fail
trial. 1t will not get fair trial unless
the voters take the trouble to exercis,
the responsibilities they have voted or
themselves.
DR.. e. A. Leslie of Deadwood is in
receipt of message announcing the