The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-03-17
Friday, March II, 1916.
FOR PRIMARY PUPILS

lnere is no QUESTION lual tHe mem J
bers of the republican party would be !
glad to vote for Charles L. Hughes
Theodore Roosevelt or Elihu Root for
president, and if allowed to vote for
them in the primary one of these
three men would receive a plurality
we believe it would be Hughes, at
least we and many others would like /
to vote for him. But here is section
Six OF the law
Sec. 6. (a) The name OF any person
shall be printed upon the primary bal
lot as candidate for nomination by
any party, for any Office indicated, If
petition or petitions containing the
requisite number of signatures as
hereafter provided made by men,
bers of the party, in the following
form, are flied with the secretary of
state, or county or town clerks, to-
gether with the written assent of said
person to the printing of his name on
said ballot etc.
Justice Hughes and Theodore Roose-
welt and Elihu Root have each re-,
fused to allow the printing OF their
names on the primary ballot in other
states. There is no reason to expect
they will consent to the printing OF
their name on the primary ballot in
Vermont. If they do not, how will
the people who wish to vote for them
vote directly for their choice for that
Officer"
Again we would respectfully ask
with whom the petitions for a presi
dental candidate are to be filed?
Do nh (urA IF Civ co
(g) Primary petitions shall be filed
as follows: for United States senator's
representatives to congress and all Of
ficers on the state ticket, with the
secretary Of state; for officers on the
county ticket. with the county clerk;
for representative to the general as
sembly with the town clerk, etc
So far as we can see this is all the
provision made in the law for filing
petitions. f& ~
Section Twelve reads:
"A See. IL Persons voted for at prim-
airy held under this act who receive
plurality of all, the votes cast by a
party shall be candidates of that party
for the offices designated on the ballot
What Isl tina difference between "a,
plurality Of all votes cast" and a ma
jority? Does the law really specify
that candidate must have ma.ori-
ty in order to get his name on the Of
fetal ballot?
Probably these problems will be
solved. or.it may be only our ignos-
aneea that raises these questions, but
it looks to us as though the intent OF
the law had not been fully carried out
in the writing of it.-St. Johnsburyi
Caletonian.
There is agdisposition on the part Of
leome OF the papers and people who,
were opposed to the direct primary to
attempt to discredit 1T before it is even
given a trial but the foregoing from
the Caledonian seems to be reasona
BILE search for information and The
Banner as one of those who favored
the primary will do its best to answer
the questions asked.
The ordinary meaning OF the word
plurality as applied to elections is
more than the number received by
any other candidate for the same Of
fee" We have no idea that this new
primary law changes the meaning of
the word. If majority had been meant
It would havebeen so stated for ma jori-
ty Is just as easy word to write as
plurality.
The petitions for the presidential pri-
mary should be filed with the secre-
tary of state. Paragraph (g) Of Sec
ton 6 prescribes where petitions shall
be filed for state and congressional Of
flee. Section 81 which provides for
the presidential primary says the pri-
mary shall be held 6 in the manner
and form prescribed for can
didates for Office on the state ticket
This clause is limited in Section &c by
the words so far as they may be appli-
cable"
These several sections seem to an
swer the Caledonian's query relative
to filing.
AS to expressing choice for Hugh
es, Roosevelt or Root, the voters of
Vermont are in the same position as
the voters of other states All three
OF these men have forbidden the use OF
their names on primary ballots or in
any other way to indicate candidacy
3 on their part. They have a right to
make this request.
The Banner does not believe that
Root is desired as a candidate by any
considerable member of Vermont Re. /
publicans but does think that Hughes
and Roosevelt both have earnest and
enthusiastic supporters here Under
these peculiar and unprecedented cir
cumstances why not leave the ballot
blank and let the voters write In the
name Of the candidate they desire?
This would give a splendid opportu-
nifty for spontaneous expression of