The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1914-01-09
HONEST PRIMARY
PURPOSE OF BILL
Address at Peoples Forum By Rep
resentative Rittenberg.
SAFEGUARDS ARE DESIRED
Spirited Talk After Speech-Some in
Audience Citing Objec-
tions.
SAFEGUARDS ARE DESIRED
Mondays News and Courier)

Mondays News and Courier)
The rottenness of the present pri-
mary system in South Carolina, and
b remedy which he proposed in the
form Of bill he expects to introduce
in the Legislature this month, form
ed the topic on which Representative
Samuel Rittenburg, member of the
House from Charleston, last night
addressed the Peoples Forum at AL
Va Gage Hall. The Hall was we'll
6led, and a feature Of the meeting
was the lively discussion which fol-
lowed Mr.. Rittenberg's address. An
interesting feature Of this discussion
was the number of very free confess
sions of fraud committed in former
primaries by those who discussed the
subject.
Throughout the whole discussion
there was no attempt to smooth over
the fact that frauds of one sort or
another were perpetrated by practi-
caily all who had anything to do in a
partisan way with primaries Of re-
cent years in Charleston. At the same
time, all who spoke protested their
sincere desire to have these condi-
tions reformed, and the spirit, of the
confessions seemed to be that what
had been done had been done in self
defense and because "the enemy" was
using similar methods.
Blames System for Frauds.
Mr.. Rittenberg began by citing nu-
merous examples of fraud in recent
primaries, taking instance at random
from those which had come under his
nesice. He said he was not blaming
anyone for these things, but the sys-
tenn which made these frauds possi-
bic. AS long as there are election
laws under which frauds may be COM
mitted, he said, frauds will be COM
mitted, for there will always be men
in every community whose interest
lies in securing Office, by fair means
or foul, and who will use every trick
toTg gain their ends.
His bill, he said, would prevent any
OF the present frauds from being
committed. Whenever the safe man
ufacturers improves safes, burglars
improved their methods of opening.
Therefore, he had no doubt that
whether this or any other bill wal en-
acted, those who wished to commit
frStid would find some way around.
The point he wished to emphasize,
however, was that his bill, or one like
it, would not permit the frauds that
are now practiced to be committed,
and would make it very much mo re
difficult for crookedness to be prac-
ticed than it is at present.
Mr.. Rittenberg then explained
briefly bill which he has drawn up
with the idea Of submitting it to the
Legislature at this session. It pro-
vides for the appointment of regis
tration boards, allows any man who
has lived in the State a year and the
county ninety days to register, pro-
vides that each man shall sign his
name when he shall, present this at
the polls on election day and endorse
it in view of the managers, after
which he will be handed a numbered
ballot, which he will vote in a closed
booth, alone. Other details of the
Australian ballot system are provided
for.
The bill also provides that there
shall be no electioneering of any sort
within one hundred and fifty feet of
the polling place, though it provides
fully for representatives of the can
didates within the polling places.
Another feature of the bill is a
Corrupt Practices Act, which forbids
any candidate or any persons for a
candidate to spend more in his cleo
tion than one-half the total amount
of his salary for the term Of the Office
(which he is running. 1t makes
election frauds punishable by a large
me or imprisonment. The principal
feature of the Corrupt Practices Act,
said the speaker, was that it provided
that if it is shown that successful
candidate, or anyone in his behalf
has spent more than the permitted
sum, the successful candidate will
forfeit the nomination and will also
be ineligible for running at the gen.
eral election to follow the primaries.
Strong Hopes For His Bill.
Mr.. Rittenberg, in discussing the
bil in general, said he was glad to be
able to say that one of the most