The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1914-01-09
HONEST PRIMARY
PURPOSE OF BILL
Address at Peoples Forum by
Representative Rittenberg.
SAFEGUARDS ARE DESIRED
Spirited Talk After the Speech,
Some in Audience Citing
Objections.
News and Courier. Jan 9th.

News and Courier. Jan 5th.
The rottenness of the present pri-
mary system in South Carolina and a
remedy which he proposed in the
from of bill he expects to introduce
in the Legislature this month formed
the topic on which Representative
Samuel Rittenberg member of the
House from Charleston last night ad
dressed the peoples Forum at Alva
Gage Hall. Ehe Hall was well filled
and featule of the meeting was the
lively discussion which followed Mr.
Rittenberg's address. An interesting
feature of this discussion was the mum
ber of very free confessions of fraud
committed in former primariers 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 prepetrated by practical
ly all who had anything to do in
partisan way with primaries of recent
years in Charleston. At the same time
all who spoke protested their sincere
desire to have these conditions re-
formed and the spirit Of the confess
sions seemed to be that what had been
done had been done in self-defence
and because 1.-The enemy" was using
similar methods.
BLAMES SYSTEM FOR FRAUDS.
Mr. Rittenberg be gan by citing nu-
merous examples of fraud in recent
primaries taking instances at random
from those which had come under his
notice. He said he was not blaming
anyone for these things but the sys-
tenn which made these frauds possi-
BILE. AS long as there are election laws
under which frauds may be cimmitted
he said frauds will be committed, for
there will always be men in every
community whose interest lies In Sc
curing office by fair means or foul,
and who will use every trick to gain
their ends.
His bill he said would prevent any
OF the present frauds from being COM
mitted. Whenever the safe manufac-
turers improved safes burglars i'm
proved their methods of opening.
Therefore he had no doubt that
whether this or any other bill was en-
acted those who wished to commit
fraud would find some way around.
The point he wished to emphasize,
however was that his bill one like
1t, woud not permite the frauds that
are now practiced to be committed,
and would make it very much more
difficult for crookedness to be prac-
ticed than it is at present
VOTER TO PRESENT CERTIF1-
CATE.
Mr.. Rittenberg than explained
briefly a bill which he has dawn up
with the idea Of submitting it to the
Legislature at this session. 1t provides
for the appointment Of registration
boards, allows any man who has lived
in the State a year and the county
nienty days to register provides that
each man shall sign his name when he
shall present this at the polls on cleo
tion day and endorse 1t in view of the
managers, after which he will be hand
ed a-numbered ballot which he will
vote in a closed booth alone Other
details of the Australian ballot system
are provided for.
The call also provides that there
shall be no electioneering Of any sort
within one hundred and fifty feet of
the polling place though 1t provides
fully for representatives OF the can
didates within the polling places.
Another feature OF the bill Is Cor
rupt Practices Act which forbids any
candidate or any person for candi-
date to spend more in his election
than one-ralf total amount OF his sal
ary for the term OF the Office for
which he is running. 1t makes cleo
tion frauds punishable by large fine
or Imprisonment. The principal feat
ure OF the Corrupt Practices Act said
the speaker, was that it'provided that
II 1t is shown that successful candi-
date or ayone in his behalf has spent
more than the permitted sum the
successful candidate will forfeit the
nomination and also be ineligible for
running at the general election to fol-
low the primaries.
STRONG HOPES FOR HIS BILL.
Mr.. Rittenberg indiscussing the bill
in general said he was glad to be able
TO say that one OF the most prominent
members OF the House OF Representa-
tives and one of the leaders of that
body, had offered HIS support for the
bill, and he said he had strong OF see
ing his or a similar bill enacted at the
coming session.
The principal cry against his bill no
said would be that OF red tape"
Replying to this hs pointed out that
his bill contained tWenty-seven sec
tions; that some Of the primary cleo
ton laws of other Stotes covered two
hundred and three pages. He said he
had not only tried to boil down the
laws of fifteen, States In preparing his
bill but had also tried To put In proVis
ions calculated totmeet conditions pee
uliar TO this State. From the stand
point OF the voter he said there was
no red tape In hia law. All the voter
would have to do would be to
sign his name In registering or make
his mark and have II witnessed re-
ceive a certificate endorse the certi-
ficate at the poll and mark his ballot.
The use OF the Australian ballot he
said would No dOuht he effactiVa I'm