Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-07-09
PLAN
FOR REPUBLICAN
STATE PRIMARY
According to Sub Committees
Report. Convention Delegates
Would Be Pledged to
Popular Will.

connection with the nomination az a
State ticket, as reported by the sub-com-
mittee, follows in full
To the Republican State Committee of
the State Of Vermont:
| The undersigned subcommittee of the
republican State committee, and the COM
mittee elected at meeting of republic
cans held at Burlington. April -. 1914,
to cooperate with said subcommittee
lin drafting unofficial primary regulations
for the nomination of candidates Of said
party for State offices and for United
States senator and representatives to
Congress respectfully report that they
met to consider the subject at Montpelier
May 70, 1914. and at White River juno
ton, May %. 1914
We present herewith the primary reg
ulatons as recommended by us, after
such study We have been able to make
of the primary laws of other states, and
in view of the present laws of this State
relating to the nomination of candidates
| for public office.
AS any regulations now adopted will
| have no statute law behind them, and
! cannot be made binding without the
consent Of those affected two require
ments seem absolutely essential to the
effectiveness Of the proposed plan. viz:
NAME TWO REQUIREMENTS.
ID pledge on the part of all candi-
dates in the primary to abide by its re-
| suit
t-) pledge on the part of the dele
gates chosen at the primary to vote in
Z tlnn
the candidates who prevail in the pri-
mary.
! These features are embodied in para
graphs II and VIII of the proposed reg
ulations, respectively.
Under our present statutes relating to
nominations to public office-P S Of to
~ both inclusive--no way is apparent
whereby republican candidates can legal
| ly be nominated except by action taken
by or through party conventions Neces-
sarily. our proposed regulations have
been framed in recognition Of the dele
gate and convention system.
We have carefully considered the dues-
ton whether some sort of party enroll
ment of those desiring to participate in
the primary should be required prior
thereto. We are aware that without this
there may be danger that persons who
,,,,. .i.,e s"'io' .,"e '''e
.,, w ~ nv p''''a''
'''' VN'''e" ""ue'
''
MANY VOTERS RELUCTANT.
But, on the other hand experience
under our present caucus law has demon
strated that many voters are extremely
reluctant to put themselves on paper"
as belonging To a particular marty IN
our Judgment. II would be unwise 70
va ''''' ''f"''V'''''' at '"e present
Wv,
."'nN mat our regulations shouIh
'''' '' VP'''0a"'' lol ''''F
,. GU" a" "'''''!S ~ animate
Wv party /" '"e comma
'io' s"a" "' gwen the opportunity
F'' Wv 'Pnte III inns primary WITHOUT
~ VI iu'''e' PeuEe IMAM tHat "hich
'E "o'ieS' man Mou'u I'ei hi'nset I'M
p'-.'' ''""' ny II ne Par'icipa'eo'
10y ParaHfaPn w. we a'o" any person
VINO VIII De voter AT
e'e'..on ana WHO INTENDS
=" Sulp'i' .''e caho'oa'eS OF the hepuo-
mean party.
MAINS VIC 'a'' '"a' p"es''onS may
as " '"e rish' oi Some voters 10
F"'"' 'Pate III republican primary we
III '"e same paragraph ior |
''"'''e a'' SUMMARY way OF determining
'"es''onS' ana we hke"ise proVide
therein '"a' record be Kept OF the
name o' eacn person VINO votes IN the
urinary ana 'hat such Iist snail ne open |
!" '"e "'Specuon OF the committees OK
"''''' PA' Tvs "S wei as 'nose or our |
wv" party
AS TO REFERENDUM VOTE.
Fairness To thon, and IN o,,rso1,os
seems to make this reasonable REQUIRE
heht'
AS the referendum vote was strongly |
IN FAVOR OF the direct primary system as
opposed 10 the preferential primary, we
make the result or the primary depend |
""oHF on the State-wide vote without
reference 10 the preference of the partic-
u'ar towns OF cities as such.
We likewise provide that the cand-
'ate receiving the greatest number OF
votes snail he deemed to have prevailed
In the primary, in accordance with the
rule established In most of the primary
laws
Ihough publicity of campaign expenses
Is not necessarily connected with a prl-
mary system, We believe that this is an
opportune time for the Republican party
to take decided stand with reference
thereto. without waiting for the enact
nent of q mandator law