Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-11-13
in any party election, he. OF course,
need not register for the primary

thS ~
election.
The next step under the law is Sec.
ton So which provides for the ma.
jority faction and the minority faction
in each party to call a mass meeting,
separately, at the court house in each
county, at 2 o'clock p. M, on the first
Tuesday (the second day. of Deem
Der, 1913. Each faction OF the party
cap hold a separate December mass
meeting and each faction by majority
vote OF the members present, can
elect n proposal committeeman for
each precinct in the county to repre-.
sent that faction OF the party at tho
county proposal meeting, at l o'clock
p. M, on the first Wednesday (the 7th
day. OF January, 1914. At the Decem.
Der mas meeting there can also be
elected n state proposal committee
man to represent each faction of the
party for the state proposal meeting to
be held in the Capitol building at
P1erre at ~ O'Clock a. M, on he first
Monday (the 5th day. of January,
1914. After this year., there will be no
more mass meetings held, as the pro.
posal committeeman will be elected
by a direct vote of the people at each
primary election to serve, in the in
itiatory meetings. for the next primary
election. 1t is therefore necessary to
give the new primary law two trials
to determine its value in results.
The next step is the state proposal
meetings held in the Capitol building
at Pierre at 10 O'clock a.. M, on the
first Monday (the 9th day. of January.
1914. The minority faction of each
party meets in the Senate Chamber,
the majority faction in the House
Chamber, and are assigned separate
committee rooms, where each faction
openly and publicly proposes candi.
dates and platforms, which are signed
by the candidates and filed with the
Secretary OF State and recorded and
printed in the state publicity pamphlet,
which Is mailed to every voter.
After The state meetings, the next
step is the County meetings, on the
first Wednesday (the 7th day. Of jan
uary, 1914, at the Court House in each
county seat and are conducted in the
| same manner as the state proposal!
meetings, except that the filings OF
the proposals are made with the Coun-
ty Auditor.
Persons not satisfied with the plat
forms and candidates Of the minority
or majority faction can, within IL
days after the proposal meetings, have
any candidate they wish, placed upon
the party ballot and who will run in
dependent, of any faction, in the first
column on the primary ballot, by ill
ing a petition, signed by two per cent
of the party voters, with the Secretary
Of State, for state Offices, or with the
County Auditor for county offices.
Then all the proposed platforms and
candidates are printed on the party
primary ballot and submitted to a d1-
rect vote of the party members at the
primary election on the fourth Tues
day (the oath day. of March, 1914.
One OF the strongest points of the
new primary law is the form Of ballot
which is plain and simple. The eco
nomic and personal phases of the bal
lot are in plain sight. The platform
and the candidate are in a lineup on
the ballot SO as to nominate the nee
essary machinery of the govern
ment to enact the laws. Each voter
can, at a glance, see and understand
just what principles the candidate, he
votes for, is pledged to support. The
arrangement of the new primary ballot
will no doubt tend toward majority
rule and ultimately preclude the neces
sity Of than two political parties
to shove forward new public policies;
because the majority and minority
proposals will contend for Issues, by
a popular majority vote, within the
party, which will make the party labor
and give birth to conservative policies.
Step by step every proposal submitted
to q popular vote will be held up in
the light of discussion and threshed
out in open debate; first within the
party primaries and. determined by
majority vote; then again before all
the voters at the general election, be-
tween two parties. which again gives
majority rule and is certain to pro.
duce sound results.
The foregoing provisions cover the
essential points pertaining to the max.
Ing and filing of platforms and candi.
dates under the new primary law. The
issues are promptly Joined during the
first days of January, when the cam
paign starts, and lasts only 80 days;
and during a time of the year when
the people are not busy and have
time to listen and study public CUES
lions.
The reason that the new party law,
as a whole, appears somewhat lengthy
is because Of the following party reg.
~ulations In addition to the regulations
OF the primary election: For in.
stance, the law provides for represen.
tative-popular election OF all the rep.
resentatives and officers Of the regu,
lar party organization by a direct
vote at the primary; also for a pub,
LEFTY pamphlet which will give the
voters q straight printed statement Of
the Issues and arguments by the can,
didates; also for a conservative party
recall by Jury trial; also for popular
endorsement OF party candidates fol
postmaster by primary elections In
which all resident electors vote after
the party members have first nominal
ed the candidates by petition; also
Tor q legal method Of party endorse.
ment 10 other appointive positions;
also for q corrupt practice feature,
with penalties for .willful violation o:
the law. All these party regulations
add to the length OF the law. That
i part Of the law pertaining to primary
election alone Is shorter than the old
primary law or the proposed Corey
primary Law. The new primary law,
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