Omaha daily bee., 1914-09-09


we ought to have a county clerk and manager and
let those two the county. and II they didn't
do their work hang recall onto them 80 we could
easily get rid OF unfaithful public servants Inc
present ballot is nuisance, caused by the mulu-
plicity Of names.
Loup city Northwestern: The past primary cleo
ton shows most conclusvely that the cities and towns
select the candidates for the various parties while
the country districts have little or no say In the
distribution Of the plums In the local tickets the
county seats and villages decide the question II be-
ing conclusively that the country vote VIII not
come out What is the remedy?
Waterloo Gazette: one thing that the primary re-
suits locally reveal 10 that It is about as easy LOT
members of one party control. seek to control
the nominations Of the opposite party under the pri-
mary system under the old plan. The principal u
the same, and both subversion OF the SPIRIT II
letter of the law, for 1t lie intended that each
party shall nominate It's candidates When It
comes to election has right TO vote Tor the
man. in the primary each one is supposed to vote
for his party ticket.
Kearney HUB rhe short ballot faddists assume
that public misunderstanding a few higher up-can
be picked by experts better than they can be chosen
by the people. How about 1T
Loup City Times-Independent The short ballot
proposition is going 70 receive lot OF attention from
the hands of the legislature this winter. The PROPOSE
ton will be do away with most Of the state OIL
GERS and have them appointed by the governor and
enact the recall the governor. Then, instead OF
voting for lot Of candidates the state ticket OF
which we know nothing. have to vote for only
governor. and IL he fails to come up to the standard
recall him. The president appoints his cab
met and what mess 1t would be IL they were
elective the same our state officers No one would
approve of our cabinet being elected neither is there
one who thinks It would be an improvement. The
short ballot would be remedy for the primary law,
Bridgeport News-Bade: That Nebraskas garbled
primary law is ponderous, foolish and difficult to
understand all will agree who had anything to do
with the last election In addition to Its general
vicious aims the law makes it difficult for the aver
age to cast his ballot intelligently, and the
judges and clerks election might be able to explain
its workings to the voters II they had a few weeks
daily practice. Voters in different precincts in this
county thought they had found something crooked
when ballots handed to them which were blank
as to county officers The trouble the election
boards mixed the regular ballots with the voting
by mail" ballots and the voters who we're more
familiar with the provision Of the law, did not
notice the line voting by mail ballot at the head Of
the ticket 1t is safe to say that not a precinct in
this state, outside of the large Cities equipped
to handle the election supplies which were piled up at
| the voting places and result nobody knew ex-
actly what to It would be useless to attempt to
| improve the present primary law by amendments
The sane thing for the coming legislature to do will
be repeal the entire and permit the differ
ent parties to conduct their primaries In the good
4 old way.
Bellwood Gazette: You have noticed perhaps
that the political bosses and the daily newspapers in
the eastern part the all defenders Of the
primary law. and there is reason for it. They knew
that under its workings there is about as much
chance for a western candidate TO secure nomina-
there for rnowball to its identity
| in hades. How long will the rank and file OF the
voters of both parties permit themselves to be
| buncoed7
| Ord Quiz II you voted you know just what the
| trouble with this system is-you did not know any
| thing about one quarter of the candidates your
ticket outside of the county. Yet were expected
select the best for the various state offices
What did you do with the cases where you did not
| know one OF the named? You made a dab at
| one Of them passed the lot up altogether Well
you like ninety-nlne out of every hundred other
voters who went to the polls You might just as well
| have put the names in hat and pulled out one OF
them and let him have your vote. This then. is the
remedy. Carry out the idea OF the primary ballot
the county ticket is concerned That Is let
| the primary elections be held now, but let the
elections only township and county offices and
delegates the county conventiones of the various
spartes Make the primaries and the county conven-
lions parties be held certain days Let the
county conventions organize for the campaign and
elect delegates to the state congressional judicial
and other conventions primary election held like
that would eliminate the boss Just as effectualy as
the present statewide primary Is doing and further
win permit the voters. to vote intelgently,
| Fairbury News: The Omaha Bee believes an emer-
gency exists as a result OF the mperfectons of the
| primary law that is a severe handicap to popular
! government and that should be dealt with by the
| coming legislature before the election Of 1915 It
points that in the past primary a voter was re-
qured make fifty-four five-foot ballot
In order intelligenty exercise his right OF fran
chise. Prodigous this may seem, 1t shows that in
1918 when have presidential electors to select and
full set OF state county and precinct officers to ill.,
the ballot will be twice that long and require in addi-
| ton TO a considerable amount OF intelligence and in
formation. skill and ingenuity to vote it. The
Bee proposes remedy by shortening the ballot While
1t Is very evident that something must be done to
simplify the ballot II Is question whether short
ballot according TO the accepted definition OF the
term, making q majority of the officers appontva,
would entirely destroy the purpose OF the primary
The primary Instituted for the purpose Of bring
ing government closer the people establish
ing what is known popular government With
the appointve power in the hands OF one man, /;
would seem a most effectual way 10 remove the gov
eminent from the people and establish reign Of
boss rule that would be powerful than was
IeRisia had