The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1919-10-16
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TAMBLYN BROS, Publishers.
JUST AROUND THE CORNER

1t Is only a few weeks until the
voters adhering to the various po1it-
ical parties of South Dakota must
assemble at the polls to select, under
the Richards law, the precinct pro-
posalmen who will in turn, In De-
cember, select the state proposalmen,
and start the campaign for the pri-
mary election In March.
The Sioux City Journal gives the
following condensed statement Of the
provision of the law, which appears
to be accurate. considering the volume
of the provisions of the law itself,
and the amount Of space into which II
is condensed.
Electors in South Dakota are pre-
pairing the skirmish lines for the pri-
mary battle which will be fought next
March for the selection OF state and
county candidates Of the several poll
tical parties. The primary law in
force in thatstate, after ratification by
the people at the last election, is intri-
cate and in a manner complicated The
advance work begins on the second
Tuesday of November in odd numbered
years, that is, the year before the gem
eral election, when precinct initiatory
elections are held. At these elections
precinct proposalmen are selected.
The total proposalmen OF the county
constitute the county proposalmeu.
This body meets two weeks after the
members are lected and take up the
duties delegated to them.
The county proposal committee of
each party at It's first meeting selects
three state proposalmen, who with
like members from all the counties
constitute the state proposal commit
tee. The county ~proposalmen adjourn
for a period OF two weeks after their
first meeting when they again assem-
BILE and received the names OF can
didates who desire to enter the pri-
mary race. together with their plat
forms. The proposalmen select such
candidates and policies concerning
county candidates as they desire
The state p~roposalmen meet on the
first Tuesday Of December of odd
numbered years. They select a party
platform by adopting proposals by roll
call one at a time. They select the
state, congressional and presidential
candidates to be entered in the party
primaries and adopt n paramount
national and n paramount state is
sue. There are other meetings Of the
county proposalmen, and methods by
which the minority may get their can,
didates on the official primary ballot
in a separate column from those OF
the majority. But the candidates and
the things for which they stand are
known in December. though the cleo
ton does not occur until March.
The fact the News desires to inn
press upon its readers Is that, In South
Dakota, the campaign of 1920 is just
around the corner, and II is time for
them all to begin considering the men
they will select for state and county
officials next year. The state. under
the Richards law, has practically a
years campaign, for the first cleo
ton under the law ~precedes the gen.
eral state election by precisely one
year. No other state In the union Is
compelled by law-and q law chosen
by the people themselves-to devote
one year out of every two to politics,
but that is what the people Of South
Dakota have said they wanted. and
they will not be doing their duty to
themselves and the state in which
they live IL they do not take up the
task they have set themselves In good
earnest.
The voter whooneglects to comply
with the provisions Of the law he
helped make. through his ballot last
November. by neglecsing to go to the
polls whenever an election is held
under the Richards law. and taking an
active part in the affairs OF the POI
litical party to which he gives alleg-
lance isn't doing his full duty as .
good citizen. This applies. Of course.
to women voters as well as men. since
women in South Dakota now have the
ballot So the women of the state are
hereby warned to set aside any club
dates they may have for the second
Tuesday In November. and mark that
down on the calendar a. the date for
exercising the franchise by voting for
precinct proposalmen Tor proposal.
women, for there IL nothing in the
Richards law prohibiting the women
from doing the proposing IN this In