The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-11-16
NON.PART|sAN F|ASCO
ELECTION OF JUDGES
SOUTH IDAHO PAPER SHOWS
ABSURDlTY OF THE.
PLAN.
North Side News. Jerome)

cd to make the election of the judi
ciary non partisan is one of the most
conspicuous governmental tiaseoes
that has ever resulted from well
meaning reform. "F4asco" is defined
by our good, old, standby, Web, OF
the half Morocco. binding, as "a COM
plcte and ridiculous failure" No bet
ter definition can be given of ldaho's
ron partisan judiciary elections.
The law requires that, after the
first fasco of primary nomination has
been made, the mon partisan ticket
be printed in a column by itself on the
Official ballot. In Idaho in the recent
party tickets, in other words, the
Partisan tickets, filled a column about
Is inches long; the non partisan jul
dicial ticket occupied about two inches
of column and the rest of the col
u1nn was blank. This inconspicuous
ticket thus occupied a secluded cor
rer of the ballot and failed of attract
Ing the attention of the voter.
At the recent Idaho election a JUS
tice of the supreme court was to be
elected a far more important office in
the judgment of many than the office
Iof governor, at least of far more i'm
partance than the election of coroner
Yet the result is that but small mi-
nority of the voters voted the non
partisan ticket at all. The News long
since saw that this was likely to hap
rem and considered the reform a fail
TIRE even before it was adopted Hence
lin the recent campaign it called spe-
ultion and cautioned its readers not
To overlook the non partisan ticket
when casting their ballots. NotWith-
standing this, in one local precinct at
least which came under our observa-
ton, less than one-t third of the voters
voted at all for supreme court judge
and yet very few of them overlooked
voting for coroner or surveyor of the
county.
This makes of the law a farce and
absolutely defeats its intent. An eX-
preston on the very highest office of
the state, even of more direct import
ance than that of United States sem
ator or congressman, is not secured
The reform" is failure both in the
cry and in practice. A very small
majority of the voters express them
selves at all and of these another bare
majority may elect, making the cleo,
ton minority one.
If the non partisan ticket is to uset
at all it should be printed on a sep.
arate piece of paper constituting
judicial ballot of and by itself, The
same as the constitutional amend
rient ballots are now printed. Then
If one be placed directly in the hands
of the voter as he enters the votn,
booth, he is almost bound to vote it,
In other respects the system is
failure. The candidates are presum
el to be non partisan, and hence tn
ethics of politics dictates that the,
should not receive partisan support O
Endorsement. Yet we find some quie
work being done by partisans purel,
from partisan motives Anothe
thing, the candidates, being on non
Partisan ticket, have no connection o
afflliation with any of the parties
they are virtually independent candi
dates, who can receive no organized
assistance or support. Party worker
pay no attention to them as a rule
and party speakers and newspaper
are absolutely silent, publicly, at least
en- the judicial candidates. Even tn
candidates themselves take no part il
public political meetings or discus
SONS. They are therefore left t.
their own resources and having non,
tC speak of, are overshadowed by tn
other issues and candidates and vir
tually forgotten by the electorate. |
IS hoped that in the coming Idaho leg
is'ature there will be at least on
member with courage and stamin:
enough to introduce and put through
some sort of an amendment to tn
present statute which will provide a
least for separate ballot for tn
non partisan ticket, if the law can no
be absolutely wiped off the books a
, ii should be-