The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-02-27
Or Vice President and Local
Socialists Will Vote for Can
didates at Convention.

Socialists Will Vote for Can
didates at Convention.
A call for convention of Socialists
in and around Clarksburg Is being
made by G. w. Duthle, secretary Oh
the local committee, to take place ~
2:30 o'clock this afternoon In court
house, for the purpose Of making ar
rangements to roommate candidates
for municipal Offices In this city.
which they recognize Is not In accord
with the present primary election law,
but which the Socialists contend Is
unconstitutional. Elsewhere In this
issue is given an account OF the plans
for undertaking test OF the law.
The convention this afternoon Will
also ballot upon the choice of the So
ciallst party for president and vice
president OF the United States. Three
candidates for president and two Tor
vice-presldent have been submitted
from those who were nominated In
December and who have accepted,
They are for president, Allen l.. Ben
son. New York; James II. Maurer,
Heading, Pa; and Arthur Leisure,
Fort Scott, Kas. For yce-president,
George n. kirkpatrick, New York,
and Kate 0'Hare, st. Louis, Mo.
The Socialists are the first to place
woman into position as a possible
candidate for president or vice-presl-
dent OF the United States. Mrs.
O'Hare Is quite well known In this
city, having been here on several Oc-
casions.
Attorney Harold W. Houston. OF
Charleston, will be the speaker tins
afternoon, and his address will be 10
Socialists ON matters Of organization,
and concerning the primary election
law. which he has been employed to
test.
1t is stated also in the cali for the
meeting that several important ma
tionai referendums are before the
party for action.
Edward II. Kintzer, OF this city,
has been made treasurer OF what Is
known as the political liberty defense
fund, which Is being accumulated for
the purpose of defraying the expense
for making test of the primary cleo
ton law briore the supreme court OF
of appeals OF this state, on the ground
that the law is in conflict with the
state and federal constitutions.
An appeal for funds Is being made
10 a great rumbe" of persons all over
the state 10 assist in the undertaking.
and Mr.. Kntzer states that liberal re-
Spouse To the call IS resulting there
from. The rcElar letter is address
ed to those whom II designates as
"ttberty-loving" and states that the
Political Liberty i'efense League Is
preparing 10 undertake the test in
the courts. rhe matter is stated thus
": "The plan of attack is this: Min
or political parties in cities Of 5000
population are TO make nominations
for municipal Offices as usual. and Il
the clerks refuse to file the ticket
without paying the fees or without
having met the requirements OF the
law the chairmen of the committees
are requested to report the case 10
the two lawyers, Harold w. Houston,
OF Charleston. and G. H. Duthie. OF
Clarksuurg. who nave been employed
to conduct the case. and who Will In
stitIte MancaIrus proceedings to
compel the filing of the ticket. In
this manner they raise the questions
that the law is in conflict with the
state and federal constitutions.
The inside Of the four-page letter
reads as follows:
II the primary election law is not
declared to be unconstitutional, or II
1t is not amended in several principal
features. or repealed, political liberty
will be a ryth for many thousands
of people. and no means for peaceful
political revolution is available In the
state OF West Virginia. Political Of
fees. laore than ever. will be bar
tered and SOLE to the financial inter-
ests.
For place upon the primary cleo
ton ballot, each aspirant for office
must pay an excessive fee. The text
of the law on this feature reads:
Each candidate to be voted for at
a general primary election shall
nav as hereinafter provided, the fol-
lowing sums respectfully: Candi-
dates for nomination for United
States senator, $500; for governor
and all other state offices the sum OF
$500: candidates for member OF the
United States house of representa-
tiyes, the sum of $500, can
didates for members OF the state SEN
ate the sum Of SEQ; candidates for
county offices as follows-county
clerk. circuit clerk, sheriff. assessor
and prosecuting attorney the sum Of
$25 each; for all other county offices
the sum OF $40 each; for members OF
the house of delegates the sum OF
SO.
Not alone are the filing fees ex-
cessive, but the law offers no reason
able opportunity TO minor political
parties like the Socialist, Progressive
and Prohibition parties, TO qualify as
a political party. Candidates in the
primary election for the nomination
OF political party must poll Ave per
cent as many votes as was the total
vote cast by all the parties in the pre-
vious general election. II the candi-
dates fail to poll in the primary cleo
ton Just as many votes as the Social
list party had in the previous general
election, and more than the Progress
sive and Prohibition parties had COM
bined, the political party of such
candidates can not have their ticket
on the general election ballot. Nor