Baxter Springs news., 1916-04-20
Baxter Springs News.
Published Every Thursday by
News PUBLISHING COMPANY.
Cities Have No Saw.

ACCORDING 10 law WHICH was
passed at the last session of the
legislature, cities of the first and
second class will have no voice in
the election of county superin-
t-ndeut this fall. Under the law,
the election of county superiu-
tendent is restricted to the terri
tory outside of these two classes
of cities, and in Cherokee County
takes the election from Columbus,
Galena, Scammon, Wier City and
Baxter Springs.
The law undoubtedly will cause
many would-be candidates for
that Office to hesitate before leap
ing into the harness. Cutting
out the support of all the larger
towns and putting the election up
to the farmers and the small
towns, will take away all means
of comparison with former elect
ions and will make conditions
rather peculiar for candidates.
The person winning the Office
will be the one who is able to
swing the farmer vote.
The law applies to both prima-
~ and general elections, and car
ries instructions to county clerks
to omit the names of the candi-
dates for county superintendent
from the ballots used in first and
second class cities. In Cherokee
County the rule will apply to on
ly second class cities, there being
no first class cities in the county.
Following is a copy of Section
of the law:
I'm any primary election held
for the purpose of nominating G
candidates for county Offices, and
in any general election held for
the election of county officers the
right to vote for candidates for
the Office of county superintend'
eut of public instruction shall be
restricted to the qualified electors
residing in said county and not
residing in any city of the first
or second class; and the ballo ts
prepared for use in cities of the
first or second class in said pri'
mary or general election shall
not contain the names of candi'
dates for the Office of county sup.
eriutendeut of public instructions
provided, that nothing in this act
shall disqualify a person residing
in any portion of the county from
being elected to the Office of coun'
ty superintendent"
There are many persons, how
ever, who are inclined to believe
that the law is unconstitutional
and are urging that some pros
pective candidate bring a friend.
| ly suit against the county clerk
to compel that official to place
the candidates name on the bal.
lots for first and second class cit
les. They say the suit could be
carried to the supreme court
where the validity of the law
would be established.
The legislators undoubtedly
had the idea, when they passed
the law, that the people who are
served BY the county superintend.
emf should have the sole voice in
electing that official and as the
county superintendent has super
vision over rural schools and third
class cities only, they decided to
take the election from first and
second class cities. This seems
to be the only argument in favor
of the law.
But lawyers say there are two
grounds on which the validity of
the law can be attacked, and
either one they say would be suf-
fcient to prove that the law
should be declared uncoustitution-
al. One Is that the county at
large is assessed to pay the coun-
ty superintendent salary and
the other expense of that Office,
and for that reason every voter