The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-05-10

EXPLAINS PRIMARY LAW
Republican Committee Urges Voters
To Turn Out.

To Turn Out.
Chelsea, May 9.-That the value of
any nominating or election machin-
cry depends upon the actual use made
of it by the voters themselves" is the
declaration OF the republican state
committee in am announcement deal
ing with the application of the new
primary law, signed by Stanley c.
Wilson, of this place, chairman, and ].
Rolfe Searles, of st, Johnsbury, sec
retary, and addressed to the Republi-
cans of Vermont. The state commit
tee announces its desire TO do any
thing it may, consistent with an i'm
partial attitude, to assist the Republi-
can voters and Republican committees
to further the true intent of the pri-
mary law by securing as full a vote
with as fair an expression of prefer
ence for president as possible on May
16." The committee urges members
OF the party to attend the polls on that
day. The statement of the committee
reads as follows:
There appears to be so much mis-
understanding with reference to the
application of the new primary law
and the relation between the primar-
les, caucuses, and conventions to be
held next month that the state com
mittee deem advisable few sugges-
tions which are In effect answers to
questions that have already been
raised.
"The primaries to be held on May
16 are unlike the primaries TO be
held in September The presidential
primaries to be held in May are pref
erential only. thus giving the voters
an opportunity to express their pref
erence for a candidate for president
but not doing away with the custom
AIRY caucuses and conventions. eau
cuses will be held as usual at which
delegates will be elected to attend the
state convention, where delegates to
the national convention will be cleo
ted One change, however, should be
noted, viz. that all of the delegates
from Vermont to the national conven-
ton will be elected at the state con
vention instead of there being four elec
ted at such convention and two each at
district conventions in the respective
congressional districts, as heretofore.
"The primaries to be held on May
l6 will be under the state law and in
charge of election officers the same
as at a regular election. The eau.
cuses are purely a party affair and
held exactly as in former years.
THE state primaries to be held in
September will be direct primaries
and the voters at those primaries
will nominate their candidates for
state and county officers and town
| representative. There will be no eau
cuses called for in September as the
Estate convention for the formation OF
platform will be then made up of
the nominees of the party for state
| and county officers and town repre-
| sentatives throughout the state.
Town committees should therefore, be
| elected at the caucuses in May
"The value of any nominating or
election machinery depends upon the
actual use made OF 1t by the voters
themselves. The state committee
stands ready to do anything ii may,
consistent with an impartial attitude,
to assist the Republican voters and
Republican committees to further
the true intent of the primary law by
securing as full a vote with as fair
an expression of preference for pres
ident as possible on May 16, This
committee urges that local commit
tees use their efforts to get out the
Republican voters both to the primar.
les and to the caucuses which will be
held on the same day, there to record
| their real wishes. The state commit.
tee expects later to issue a pamphlet
briefly summarizing the law which
will bear on the September nomina,
tions and November elections. Mean
while we hope local committees will
examine published copies of the Law
and familiarize themselves with this
provision so far as they can