The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1921-01-25
ELECTION BILLS
TO BE OFFERED
IN LEGISLATURE
Provide Nonpartisan State Elec-
tion, Same as on County
= !, Candidates IL
SEPARATES u. S. OFFICES
Candidates for U. S. Senator and
Congress Nominated
Separately

tlOn methOQS, including a nOnpartlSal
state ballot, were ready for introduc
tion in the legislature today. Tn,
first bill provides:
Party primary election on the
third Tuesday in March of each
presidential year, at which nomin-
ations shall be made for candi-
=. dates for the offices of presiden-
tial electors, United States Sem
ator, member Of Congress and
election shall be made of dele-s
gates to the national party con-
ventiOns, national committeeman
and party precinct committeeman.
On third Tuesday of March of
each even numbered year, other
than presidential election years,
primary shall be held for nOmin-
ating party candidates for United
States senator, il any are to be
chosen, for member Of Congress
and to elect party precinct COM
mitteemen.
Names of candidates TO appear
on separate ballot for each party
with title United States ballot"
and with party designation at top.
Nominations may be made by
petition, filed with the secretary
Of state. ..... .....
The second bill provides:
Separate state and county pri-
mary ballots entitled Primary
i Nominating Ballot" for state Of y
fee. candidates and County Pri-
mary Nominating Ballot" for
county office candidates.
Double number to be elected to
any office shall be nominated, as
two for Governor and six for rail
road commissioner.
June primary retained.
The bills were drafted BY Theod0ri
e. Nelson, secretary Of the Indepen
dent Voters Association. In state
ment explaining his attitude on the
measures Mr.. Nelson says:
( Cause Of Unrest
Much Of the social and economical
unrest ia our midst is due to faulty
election laws and flaws in the ma,
With which we assemble oul
When some people are
asked what our Government consist:
Of, they answer, the people. This i:
wrong, the people are not the Gov
ernment, they make the Government
Our government consists of officials
that are elected or appointed for pub
lie service. Much of the election ma.
in our state and many Other
states is built to serve individuals OF
classes who want to make use of the
for personal profit politi'
cally and otherwise. T
"TWo things are required in order
to have good government. First: Ev'
cry citizens conception of his duty
to state and nation must enable him
to lift his political thinking above
consideration, persona
or petty revenge. A desire
to promote the common good must
WELD the greatest influence in the
mind of the individual citizen when
deciding what to do in political mat
ters. Second: The means and meth
DDS used for the assembling OF our
must be such as to make
every reasonable citizen feel that he
has he'd fair chance to get his ideas
enacted intD law, or to get his choice
among. the several candidates select
ed for public service, even when he
loses out all around.
Everybody of course realizes that
We cannot have popular government
without political organization on a
party basis. We must have some way
Of fixing responsibility for what is
done, Or not done. by our government
We cannot have that if our govern
ment consists of a number of individ-
lalists responsible to nobody and
working with nobody. When cur form
Of government was planned it was
deemed wise to build from the bottom
up, therefore our government was
divided into political units along lines
that would insure the greatest eff
cheney. &~-. r-r
cur school districts, townships,
drainage districts, road districts, etc,
are ali more or less interviewer in
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