The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-09-07
RAIL AT PRIMARY
DESIGNATION LAW
system in Elimination Contests
Criticised as Cumber-
some.
GLEASON GIVES FIGURES
Necessary Signatures Of Voters
Probably Will Reach
100000.
GLEASON GIVES FIGURES

A wall OF protest against the number
OF signatures required for the designation
OF primary candidates has been heard
throughout the State in the past ten DAYS.
With the approach OF the last day for III
ing petitions-the limit Ia midnight to-
morrow-the enormous number OF en-
rolled voters whose names have to be OBJ
tanned in the great elimination contest
has disturbed both the men who have to
gather and the election boards that have
to record the signatures.
Col. Lafayette r. Gleason. secretary Of
tho Republican State committee. after
wearing out several lead pencils the other
day. roughly estimated that even II there
were no contest for any nomination the
number OF signers for the various candi-
dates from Senator ana Governor down to
district committees would be $4,000.
How great the actual total will be when
the entries close not even Col. Gleason
knows. Probably It will be more than
100000. OF course there are a great
many Implications. each voter signing
his name for several party candidates
for different offices Otherwise the task
would be hopeless and party with a
small enrolment, such as the Socialist,
could never get into the primary at all
Including United States Senator and
Associate Judge OF the Court OF Appeals
there are nine Offices to be filled by voters
OF the whole State. To enter the
primaries each candidate for a State
nomination must have at least 5000
signatures of enrolled voters That means
oI al or Pull nart,, all
10000 signatures for the combined
Democratic, Republican. Progressive. In
dependence League, Socialist and Prohlbi-
ton.
That Is tho least possible number. even
IL there is only one candidate for each
place on the tickets. As matter of
fact each candidate II getting at least
1000 ma mes to insure this position in case
some OF the signatures are thrown out,
and some OF them to make a showing
and bind n lot of voters are getting as
many as $1,000.
Petitions for all State candidates are
filed with the Secretary OF State at AL
bany. For minor sectional candidates
they are filed with the custodians of
primary records, who in this city are
the Board OF Elections Each candidate
for the Supreme Court must get the sig
natures of at least per cent. OF the
enrolled voters OF his party In the dis
trict where he Is running. In the Fifth
judicial district, for instance. each Re
publican candidate for Supreme Court
Justiceship has 10 gather $500 signatures,
and as tho Democratic enrolment IL
larger than the Republican each Demo
cratic candidate for the same place OH
the bench has to have 5,25l signatures
Yet II Supreme Court Judges were elected
by the whole city, instead OF by frac-
tonal parts OF the city comprised In ju-
dlcial districts. the candidates would need
TO get only 1900 signatures, That IL
one of the curious workings OF the pri-
mary law.
There are forty-three Congressman 10
be elected In this state. For this Office
tho number OF signers required is 3 per
cent. of the enrolment but It need not
be more than 500. Assuming that each
Republican and Democratic candidate who
enters the primaries has 400 signatures
a fair average--and assuming that there
are no contests within the parties, the
number OF signers required by the forty.
three Congress NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Il
you count both Democrats and Rspub'
Iiosns-As $1,000,