The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1914-07-16
AN UNOFFICIAL PRIMARY

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campaign. IN the absence Of legal
primary system. This plan embodied
the following principal features:
Primaries are to be held September
under supervision Of Republican
town committees, who shall provide
voting places and post notices.
Candidates include all stateofiicers,
United States senator and Congress
men. Persons desiring to have their
names on the official ballot must file
on or before August i certificates with
secretary Of the state, signed by 500
voters in case Of state Office or Unit
ed States senator and $50 in case Of
members Of Congress.
Form Of ballot and certificates is
provided.
Chairman and secretary to be elect
ed by voters and all expenses except
printing ballots borne by local com
mittees.
Legal voters in November election
who intend TO support candidates for
Republican party are eligible TO vote
in primary and record will be kept
Of all persons voting, which list shall
be open TO party committees.
Caucus check list to be used where
filed. Conventions TO be held TO con-
firm choice Of primaries, delegates TO
be pledged TO such confirmation be-
fore being eligible to participate in
convention.
Town committee 70 count votes and
certify to secretaries Of state and dis
trict committees, and state committees
TO canvass vote before September 10.
Secretary Of state committee to an
nounce result to conventions, state and
district.
In case no person files for office TO
be voted on at primary or vacancy
occurs from any cause, convention
shall fill vacancies.
Expense accounts to be filed by can
didates with the secretary Of the state
committee and by him handed to the
press. If candidate refuses so to file,
convention may proceed to nominate.
Platforms TO be formulated by con-
ventions and successful candidates to
be members Of convention which
frames platforms,
Hours and places of voting shall be
fixed by local committees, bat limited
to two hours in towns Of $40 or less;
up TO 1000, three hours; 1000, four
hours; 5000, five hours; over 5000,
six hours.
We suppose this plan in its every
detail does not commerd itself 10 any
single person; yet in the ensemble it is
generally agreed to be as satisfactory
as anything that could be produced
under the circumstances. Indeed, in
some respects it is very remarkable
achievement, testifying to the con
scientious manner in which the mem
bers of the committee attacked a diff.
feult task. First of all, it is necessar.
lily an informal, unofficial scheme,
worked out to fit present contingency.
The voters declared last March that
they wanted a direct primary. Unless
the legislature sits in special session
which does not appear likely--there
will be no official primary for use the
coming fall and parties will have to
nominate in the old way. Desiring
to meet the sentiment expressed in
March, the Republicans are trying to
frame for the use of their own party
an informal primary that shall have
all the important features Of a legal
direct primary, so far as the existing
law of the state will permit. The
other parties have been invited to join
with the Republicans in holding such
a primary, but thus far have not ac-
cepted.
The law requires now that actual
nominations BY parties must be made
by conventions in order to find a place
on the official ballot. While the nomi-
mating must be done by delegates as
heretofore, this plan reduces the dele
gates to mere instruments Of the vot-
ers' will as registered at the primary
No delegate is eligible to a scat in the
convention until he agrees TO carry
out the verdict Of the primary. This
eiTeetually disarms the criticism that
the plan is merely the preferential
primary. Il Is as direct as the legal
requirements will possibly permit and
nobody really fears that a convention
SO organized would prove false to its
word and TO is trust In addition,
the plan proposed offers the "wide
open" instead Of the CLOSED" primary,
with It's Objectionable feature Of ad-
vance enrolment. This feature ought
to populariEe /, in operation. There
is % fund with which to defray the
cost cf printing, etc, Incidental 10
general primary. Our own view "a
that candidates for nomination should