The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-02-26
LETTERS TO THE
EDITOR
DIRECT NOMINATIONS.
Reasons for Favoring Primary Elections
for Vermont.

town meeting interests should not caus
the voters TO forget that the issue wheth
er or not Vermont is to have a primar.
law is to be decided by the voters OF
Tuesday, March T.
The question before the voters i
whether or not to accept the provision
of the primary nominations bill, passed
by the legislature last winter, with I
referendum clause attached. II the vot
ers are satisfied with the old system o.
nominations by convention they shoulC
vote mo" II they are not satisfied anc
would like to try the system of selecting
nominees by direct vote they should vote
"yes.'
In spite of all that has been said and
written on the question there are still a
good many people who do not understand
the working OF a primary law although
| it is simple and easily understood, In
! brief it is as follows; Voters, who desire
to support a certain candidate for state
office, L. S. senator, member of Congress,
or county official can circulate a petition
asking that the mans name 90 on the
primary ballot. 1t takes 500 names to
get mans name on the ballot for gov
ernor or other state office or for L. s.
senator. For member of Congress it
takes $50 names and for county Office it
takes a number of names equal to per
cent of the vote cast at the last election
With the names thus presented by the
voters themselves an election ballot is
made up for the primary election which
is set for the second Tuesday in Septem-
Der.
From the names offered for the various
places the voters make their selection for
each place and the man who gets most
votes is the nominee. The candidates of
each party are in separate columns and
the voter must confne his marking to
the column Of one party or invalidate his
ballot.
The primary election is held at the
same place and under practically the
same rules as a regular election and the
laws regulating a regular election apply
to primary, including penalties for brib
cry, intimidation, Use OF liquor, etc. In
addition the primary bill ESQ provides a
penalty for the voter who solicits bride
or any other thing Of value.
II will be seen that in this way every |
voter gets chance to vote for q candi- |
date for every place on the ticket. I'm |
der the caucus and convention system |
the fight in the cattcus is almost always |
over the candidate for governor or some |
other place on the ticket and the voters
get no chance to express preference as to
the other places. The primary gives him
a chance for an emphatic vote, for or
against every man proposed. With all
The candidates on the state, COMPRESSION
il and county ticket to be considered,
.he interest in the primary is ordinarily
much greater than in the caucus and in
his way a much more general expression
3 secured.
II is well known that under the eau
us and convention system the delegates
ent to the state, district and county
are about the same men year
fter year and some of them get expert
n slate making and wire pulling TO Sc
ure the nominee they want rather than
he one whom voters would prefer
Wouldn't it be far better and more sat
sfactory to allow all voters to go to
heir regular polling place and register
hoice of candidates as they now go there
or the regular electionY Those who be-
eve this direct vote is best should vote
or the primary law now proposed
The opponents Of the direct primary
ave made the statement that the pri-
nary is more expensive than the caucus
nd convention system. This statement
Incorrect OF the two, the primary
vstem is considerably less expensive
lost voters will remember the campaign
1902 when Mccullough, Proctor, Glenn +
ut and Webb were candidates for the
epublican nomination for governor. =
his is believed to have been the most :
tpensiye, in proportion to the number
voters, ever known in this part Of the j;
,untry This contest was under caueus
I'D convention system. II is not on rec II
d that direct primary campaign any
here ever cost at the same proportion. Ii
$ a matter of fact the cost of a cam
lign has always depended on the wealth Ii
the candidates and their inclination to
,end money rather than any system of o
animation used. This Vermont primary
which the voters are to decide March N
contains a provision compelling every "
indicate, whether winner or loser, to NJ
are public his expenses and this pub +
ity will do more to limit the unfair use
money than any other one thing. On tC
count of this provision alone the law 81
ould be accepted by the voters in view
the scandals that have on several &C. is
sions attended Vermont campaigns. tie
Under the provisions of the proposed
imsry. candidates for town representa- to
ie may or may not be selected Just as m
g voters prefer. They can leave the on
dice of town representative candidates
a caucus to be held later If they pre- m
r or 10 independent filed nominations IN
ch As are now used in many towns. III
le primary does not apply to town, an
v, village or school district elections
to choice of justices of the peace. mi
The proposed law provides for a CON or
ntion Of each party to prepare a party
.tform and makes nominees for state no
county Offices members Of this con Tn
alton. BY this method the men who
We the platform to carry out have a ny ~
Il in making the platform and in this u
y greater party responsibility is Sc \.
ed. ~
The friends Of the direct primary make =
claim that the primary is a panacea 4,
cure for all political evils but they do A.,
] sure that it viii give voters direct
trol OF making their own nominations h.
in this way a irmer hand in the NJ.
.ernmeut Of their state. ~
he statement has been made in some II,