The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1916-02-17
PRIMARY ELECTION
COMES in MARCH
MINNESOTA VOTERS TO SELECT
PRESIDENTIAL DELEGATES
BY DIRECT VOTE
HOLD ON TOWN ELECTION DAY
RULES GOVERNING ORDINARY
PRIMARY ELECTION PRE-
VAIL-NEW LAW.

| vii carry With IL an adQeQ interest
| this year, owing to the fact that ev-
cry voter in the state of Minnesota
will be given an opportunity to vote
directly on his party's nominee for
president and vice president of the
United States as well as for the dele
gates to the national convention.
The law provides for the presiden-
tial preference primary and was pass
ed in 1913, but as there has been no
presidential election since that time
this is the first occasion on which it
becomes operative.
The Fergus Falls Journal contains
the following explanation of the more
important details of the provision OF
these laws:
"The law provides that the names
of candidates for president and vice
president shall be placed upon the
ballot on petition of per cent of
the voters voting the party ticket at
the last election, but not more than
500 names are required in any one
district. Thus, any one desiring to
place the name of Roosevelt, Root,
Cummins, Borah or anyone else on
the Republican ticket as candidate
for president, for instance, can. do
so by getting up a petition signed by
2 per cent of the Republican voters
of this or any other congressional
district, and the name of such cand1-
date is then placed on the ballot and
voted upon by the voters the same
as in any other primary election.
Likewise, anyone wishing to place
the name of Wilson, Bryan, Clark.
or any other possible Democratic
candidate can do so by getting up the
necessary petition requesting that
such name be placed on the ballot.
''The law says nothing about the
withdrawal of names in case the men
selected and petitioned for do not
wish to become candidates, but the
secretary will probably take them
off if the candidates request it. Ne
braska and Michigan have similar
laws, and both Roosevelt and Hughes
have requested that their names be
taken from the ballots there. This
means that they do not wish to appear
as seeking the nomination; whether
they would accept if the party nomi
mated them is another question; the
primary is likely to be a mixed affair.
and if a candidate goes into it and
fails to make a strong showing, this
will be urged against him in the Ma
tional convention. In Minnesota, it is
possible that Cummins may be the
only one to appear on the ballot for
the Republican nomination, but again
there may be several names.
Besides voting directly on candi-
dates for president and vice presi-
dent, the voters will be called upon to
vote for delegates to the coming ma
tional conventions. Candidates for
delegates must file the same as candi-
dates for any other office, at least 80
days before election, and must also
express their choice for president at
the time of filing.
"The election will be held on the
second Tuesday in March, which IS
town election day, and will be held
the same as any other primary elec-
ton, the voter calling for Demo-
cratic or Republican ballot, as the
case may be, and voting for his choice
for president and vice president and
his choice for delegates to the national
convention.
'The law says that the presidential
candidates receiving the highest num-
Der of votes, shall be the choice
of the party, and that the delegates
elected, on going to the convention.
shall to the best of their judgment and
ability, faithfully carry out the wish
es of the voters, as expressed at the
convention.
"The law is indefinite on many
points, and if attacked, it is doubt
full if it will be sustained by the
courts. Two delegates are elected
from each congressional district, but
it is difficult to tell from the law whe-
Their they should vote for the presiden-
tial candidate who receives the high
est number of votes in their particular
district, or for the candidate who re-
ceives the highest number in the state
as whole. Again, suppose when they
reach the convention they find that
the candidate their state has voted for
has no possible chance of being NOM
mated; are they to vote for him once,
or are they to keep on voting for him
throughout the convention, or are they
even compelled to vote for him at all?
It seems to be. matter of judgment
with them and the law NAV prove to
have very little effect. Under it, too.
it is easily possible that delegates who
favor one candidate, NAV be elected.
while some other candidate NAV re-
ceive a majority of the votes of the
state or district"
New York, N. Y.-Mrs. Jeanette.