New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1914-11-14
MIR. BURKE'S POSITION AS TO
PRIMARIES.


Burke anent the urgent necessity
of a primary law that viii b,
fair to all candidates entering
either party. 1t is Mr.. Burke :,
intention to introduce a bill at &
special session Of the Legislature
wherein certain abuses will be
Tectitied:
/. November 10Th. 1914.
81 read with much interest
your editorial of this morning s
Item. In order to correct a mis-
apprehension of the purpose OF
the address to the Democrats OF
Ine District issued by me recentlT
and which you did me the court
esy of publishing, | wish to direct
attention to the fact that it con
tanned tie distinct proposition
that ono one has the right to as
sumo. even by proposed legisla
tive enactment. to close the door
W tHoSC VINO VOL W Ni'Nl NV
folds Of any party. That is a
high privilege which should be
saf CT arded under all consldera-
tons.
cit contained the further prop
osition that men should align
themselves under the party to
which they desire to give aleg
rance. ard if there are to be two
parties the Democrats should not
be bound by stringent rules and
left to the manipulations OF those
who enter their councils or with
draw from it at pleasure.
] referred to the fact that leg
isIation such as suggested now
had been prop osed by me at the
last session of the General AS
sembly, "and it's defeat was Ell
comprised by the efforts Of those
who. in my Judgment, advocated
an extreme. the effect of which
would have been to perpetuate
the Progressive, Party in the
Tbird District in the event Of its
success.
Gas a prac teal proposition,
the Democrats are forced to hold
a primary election to nominate Of
ficers. Parties not in sympathy
with them are free to and have
entered these primaries control
ling nominations, and then or
ganized an opposition.
"All that my proposition in
the Legislature contemplated,
and to which i now recur, was
that all parties desiring to NOM
mate candidates should do so by
primary on the same date, and
that voters participating in one
primary should not be allowed to
participate in the other. That
would enable the voter to select
the candidate of his choice and
give him the support he desired.
1t would prevent the voter from
participating in two selections,
which can scarce be called equit-
able.
ct think you will recall thai
while you were attending the SEES
sion Of the General Assembly and
the Evans Amendment was being
discussed. ! opposed it vigorously
because it provided that no voter
should be permitted to partici-
pate in theDemocratic primaries
unless they made affidavit that
they had not voted any other
ticket within two years from the
date Of the primary at which they
presented themselves to vote.
That, l stated, would have pre-
vented the Democratic Party
from gathering back to its folds
those who had wandered or for
any purpose had given tempo
rary allegiance to the extent Of
a vote to some other party.
81 am led to address this CON-
munication to you by the fact
that in as much as my address
outlined no plan, there might ap.
pear to be ground for the con-
which you place upon
it. But I think that you person
ally will recall the position which
took in the General Assembly
and which / now reiterate as. in
my judgment, being fair and cor
rect. I believe that the placing
of all parties upon an equal basis
as to the method Of selecting can
didates and leaving individual
voters to exercise their privilege
as they elect. is fair to all con-
= xe ~..A.o.o~ .,,,~ow<