Malvern daily record., 1917-03-03
SUGGEST A PRE
 PARENTAL PRIMARY
Leading Citizens of County Recommend That Legisla- ture Pass Such a Bill For The Election of Delegates to Con- stitutional Convention.

In order that each county in the state may have their very best and most able men repre- sent them in the Constitutional Convention, a move has been in- augurated by leading business men and County Officials of Hot Spring county, suggesting to the Legislature that bill be passed providing for a preferential pri- mary for the selection of dele gates. The following communi- cation has been prepared and will be sent to the members of the General Assembly, with reference to the matter:
 TO THE MEMBERS OF THE ARKANSAS LEGISLATURE :.
 There has been much talk with reference to the Law or Act call ing for a Constitutional Con- vention and the best method of securing our strongest and most able men to sit in this Conven- tion and Revise our present Con- stitution or make new Con- stitution. That this is 8 great undertaking there can be no question, and much greater than many of us have considered. Hence the importance of send- ing Delegates that can be de- pended on in such an undertak- ing, is the real thing to be con- sidered, else we may not expect anything but that the work or revision, when put up to the people next Fall, will be voted down and we will have spent a few hundred thousand dollars and have the same thing we started with. We have heard from various Districts that there are going to be numbers of aspirants, possibly from some counties as many as eight or ten, and even more in some in= stances; and without reflecting upon any mans intentions or de- sire to do the right thing and to serve well and faithfully, nine tenths of them haven't the first qualification to accomplish that which is expected and necessary, if their work shall stand. Now we think by all means we should have a law or Act passed before this Legisla- ture adjourns, requiring that in each Township in the State that a Preferential or Eliminat- ing Primary be held in advance of the regular election, and take the two receiving the highest number of votes and run them in the regular election. This is the only possible way the people may get their choice, and perhaps in most instances get the most able representatives. We believe firmly in this method of thinning out, before the regular Primary at any and all times. It's the only plan that will ever ac= complish what the people de- sire. And there isn't any use in any man arguing that it would be too expensive. Just pass your Law requiring that the Election Commissioners appoint Judges and name the date of this Preferential Primary" Let it be distinctly understood that they are to serve without com pensation. We've got as good men in each township of every county of the State, as ever served in an election, that would be only too glad to get the op- portunity to give the people ''the mass or majority of the people, the chance to say who shall represent them. We wish we might emphasize this thought more strongly that unless we have a law like this we are cer- tainly going to be disappointed, not only in electing delegates to the Constitutional Convention, but in many instances in other elections. The people would re- ioice in such an Act, but there is a certain class who will be ypry Yni1oh onnoSed to such q