Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-04-03
STATEHOUSE
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Continued from Page Nine)
petition must be sworn to before
magistrate and returned to the De-
partment Of State before the first
Monday Of May, which this year hap
pens to fall on the first day Of that
month.
The primary law does not specify
| that the signatures must be obtained
from each of the towns within the
district. A candidate can procure the
necessary signatures in any one or
more towns in the district whether it
be for a representative class, county or
State. They need only to obtain the
required number of signatures Of
members of their own party within
the electoral division where the candi-
date is to be voted for.
The forms of the primary blanks
have been changed somewhat this year
to make better system of filing.
The minimum number Of signatures
required for a candidate for United
States senator, Governor and State
auditor is 1416 while the maximum
number is 1888; the minimum number
required for a candidate for Congress
in the first district is 355 and the
maximum number 710; for Congress in
the second district, minimum Of 352
and maximum of 705; for Congress
in the third district, minimum of 423
and maximum of S45; and in the
fourth district, minimum of 286 and
maximum of 572.
Opposition to Law.
OF late many persons in various
sections Of the State have made force
full objections to the present primary
law and say that they wish that they
had an opportunity to vote for its
repeal They claim that it is too ex-
pensive for the poor man to partici-
pate in the primaries as such a con-
test costs a great deal more than it
would under the convention system.
The opponents Of the primary law
also contend that the man whose name
begins in the early letters Of the al
phabet has the advantage Of the man
whose name begins with "Y" or wv"
where there are number of names OH
the ballot and where a certain number
again they claim that the cities have
the advantage over the country towns
because Of the fact that in the former
places the vote is naturally larger on
primary day than in the rural dis
tricts and it is natural for the people
in the cities to vote for one of their
own candidates. Under >the amend
ment to the primary law passed at the
last session Of the Legislature the
polling places in towns will remain
open until o'clock in the evening the
same as in the places of over 5000 in
habitants, so that much larger vote
may be expected from the country dis
tricts on the next primary day.
An effort was made at the last ses-
sion of the Legislature to refer the
matter of the repeal of the direct
primary law to the people. The prop
osition was advanced by Hon. David r.
Hastings of Auburn, member of the
Senate from Androscoggin county, and
a lively hearing was held before the
committee on legal affairs. Senator
Hastings contended among other
things that the country towns did not
have representation in the distribu-
tion of the county Offices under the
primary system as the vote was too
small. He cited the last election in
his county of And1 oscoggin, which
would be that of the year 1914, when
the Democratic candidates for sheriff,
county treasurer, county attorney,
register of deeds and clerk of courts
all came from the city Of Lewiston, be-
cause Of its overwhelming Democratic
vote. Mr.. Hastings, himself was
nominated for senator in the Demo-
cratic primaries because there was no
candidate against him, so he stated.
The repeal Of the primary law was
vigorously opposed at the hearing by
Hon. Howard Davies of Yarmouth,
who has been called "the father of the
direct primary law in Maine" Senator
Edward F. F1aherty of Cumberland
county, Senator Charles r. Dunton of
Penobscot county and others.