Rock Island Argus., 1916-03-17
PRIMARY LAWSTO
|. Be GIVEN A TEST
Three Attacks Prepared by various
Republican Political Camps in
State and Chicago.
BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT
Roosevelfs Right to Kill Nominating
Petitions and Sherman's Dis.
avOwal Questioned,

Chicago, March 17.-Theodore Roose
velt United States Senator Lawrence
Y. Sherman, and Alderman John n.
Kimball of the Seventh ward-all more
or less as accessories before the fact
are threatening the constitutionality of
the Illinois primary laws.
Legal preparations are in the max
ing in at least three distinct camps.
and possibly fourth, to make drive
on the Illinois supreme court at it's
April term, the object being to knock
out the presidential and general pri-
mary acts, on the ground of unconsti-
tutionality.
Theodore Roosevelt's right, as a
nonresident Of the state, to cause Sec
retary of State Lewis G. Stevenson to
kill nominating petitions of candidates
for republican and progressive nation
al convention delegates, simply be-
cause these candidates were pledged
| be one line Of attack.
Senator Sherman's right to disavow
candidates for republican convention
delegates. thereby eliminating such
candidates from the April II ballot,
will be another.
kimbalrs Complaint.
Alderman Kimball's legal batteries
will be unlimbered in an assault on
that provision of the primary laws that
compels voters to state openly their
party allegiance as a preliminary to
participation in a direct primary. This
is result of the contest launched by
Frederick W. Krengel, city hall can
didate for alderman against Alderman
| kimball in the Seventh ward 1t is
brought on by the citation of 260 Hyde
Park residents, said to have voted in
progressive primaries in September,
1914, and voted for Kimball in the re-
publican primaries in February.
Information is obscure as to the
source of attack from the fourth quar-
ter. The rumor, however, is that the
"big" primary law is to be assaulted
on the general proposition that it was
! improperly passed at Springfield, un-
der the constitution, as declared by
the supreme court in the university
case"
Former City Clerk John R. McCabe
who filed petition as a Roosevelt can
didate in the Sixth district, is credited
| rim Jr
cause Secretary Stevenson to pick his
petition from the official waste basket
after Colonel Roosevelt's peremptory
demand that there be no Roosevelt
delegates on the Illinois ballot.
Former Judge Willard McEwen, who
was 'disavowed" by Senator Sherman
as a Sherman delegate in the Seventh
district, is reported to have completed
preliminares to raise the constitution,
al point that the right Of an individual
to be a candidate or Of voters to peti-
tion that a candidate shall be placed
in nomination cannot be questioned by
the individual wish of any person.
Plenty of Time for Suit.
The supreme court will be in session
in plenty Of time to take summary ac-
ton on any case that may be put up
to it and make decision that would
affect the April II primaries.
Practical politicians caught Whit
of the danger, and long headed ones
were not so sure last night but that
the national convention delegates from
Illinois will be named by the old soap
box method.
County Judge Thomas F. Scully will
take up the Krengel-Kimball contest
today. The report was out yesterday
that the original petition had been lost
At the Office of the clerk of the county
court it was stated that the petition
had been mislaid merely and that moth
ing will interfere with prompt court
action.