New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1917-03-21
PRIMARY ELECTION
MEASURESFAYORED
HOUSE COMMITTEE PROPOSES
RETURN TO A CONVENTION
SYSTEM
PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE To
BE ELIMINATED FROM
STATUTES

The elections committee of the lower
house of the legislature has reported ont
favorably, three primary election bills.
which are, this week, receiving considera-
BILE attention among the members of that
body. Two provide for return to
modified convention system, and the
third wipes the presidential preference
primary act off the statute books.
Conventions Forward
7 After long delay, the committee took
action on the two primary bills before
1.-THE Odland bill which provides for
party convention to select nominees
Tor United States Senator and state
offices, and the J. M. Harrison bill which
provides for supplementary conven-
ton to select nominees where candidates
nave not received a specified majority
at the primaries. The Gleason bill.
repeating the so-caIled Lunsdeen presi-
dental preference primary law, was
recommended.
Special Order of Business
The plan adopted by the committee
is to make the bills a special order of
business. The two bills relating to
the state primary were sent out, without
recommendation with the idea that the
House would take it's choice.
Sentiment in the House seems to
favor the Odland bill. Representatives
Edward Indrehus and Henrik Ship
stead are co-authors with Martin w.
Odland.
The Odland bill strikes at the big
evil of the old convention system in
providing for the election of delegates,
The great evil of the convention system
was conceded to be the caucus method
OF selection. Under the Odland bill
delegates are to be elected on the re-
gular town meeting day, the second
Tuesday in March, five for every rep
resentative in the Legislature, making
state convention of $50 delegates.
/. dominates State Officer
The convention is empowered to
nominate for United States senator.
governor, lieutenant governor, attor-
ney general, secretary of state, state
treasurer, auditor, railroad and ware
house commissioners. The judiciary is
not included.
The bill does not attempt to place
the Legislature back on a partisan
basis. It makes no provision for the
selection of nominees for Congress by
conventions.
The Harrison bill provides for con-
vention to meet after the regular pri-
mary. In case no candidate has re-
ceived 40 per cent of the vote cast, the
convention is empowered to select a
nominee. The Senate has for considera-
ton the Rustad bill providing for con-
vention, preceding the regular primary,
to make recommendation to the voters
by indorsing candidates. The bill was
to have come up last week, but was
postponed. It is understood that many
of the supporters of the Rustad bill will
accept the Odland bill if the House passes
it.
Defeat Seen For Dwinnell Bill
The Senate, this week, will take up
the Dwinnell bill placing the Legislature
back on partisan basis. That the bill
will be defeated seems to be the con-
sensus.
The passage of the Gleason bill re-
pealing the presidential preference pri-
mary is predicted by legislators in both
branches. In the Senate, j. G. Gala
han of Minneapolis and O. H. Griggs of
Virginia, introduced the same bill.
The presidential primary was nothing
less than a farce. Republicans and
Democrats alike want to see it repealed.
Want Action On Measures.
When the House elections committee
met it was evident that the members
wanted to get the primary measures
before the House. They insisted that
they be sent out at once for the House
itself to decide.
W. l. Norton, chairman of the House
elections committee, was instructed to
ask for special order on the bills.
Besides taking action on the three
bills above mentioned, the committee
recommended the Nimocks bill which
would prevent any organization indors-
ing a candidate without the latter's
consent.