Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1921-02-25
AMENDING THE DIRECT PRI
MARY LAW


Members of the legislature are
now wrestling with the question of
amending the direct primary law and
are finding il knotty problem to
solve They are afraid to repeal the
law and go back to the old system
OF nominating by party conventions.
Their timidity is justified, for a large
majority of the voters would strenu-
ously object to having the privilege
of selecting their own candidates
taken away from them.
On the other hand, active partisans
are demanding protection against
the invasion of their primaries by
members of the Non Partisan league
or other voters not affiliated with
the party, the name and organiza-
tion of which they desire to use but
for the principles and policies Of
which they have no use.
Several plans have been suggested
to afford this protection. One is
that every voter be required when
registering to state his or her party
affiliations. At the next primary
election the voter must call for the
ballot of the party with which he or
she was aligned at the time of regis
tration, or not vote at all There
are three objections to this plan. II
discourages any independent voting
az the primaries, and it encourages
the members of minority parties to
make false statement of their party
affiliations. Furthermore it would
not afford the protection desired, in
case the members of the Non Parti-
san league should decide to all reg
lister as republicans or all as demo-
Gratis and then go into the primary,
capture the party name and nomi-
nate their candidates under it,
In the opinion of the writer an
amendment which would best suit
the average voter of all parties and
bring about the most efficient gov
eminent would be to abolish all
party lines in the nomination of state
and county officials; to have the
names OF all candidates printed on
blanket primary ballot without any
party designation, the two receiving
the highest number of votes for each
nomination to be the candidates at
the general election; candidates for
u. 5. senator's, representatives in
congress and presidential electors to
be nominated under the present sys
TEN, for the reason that on national
political principles and policies the
voters naturally divide along party
lines, but in county and state poll
tics all parties demand and promise
the same things, economy and eff
cheney in conducting the government
There is small chance that this
plan will ever be adopted because ii
would tend to weaken party lines
and stimulate Independent voting, to
both of which results the aggressive
partisans, who usually constitute a
majority of the state legislature. are
bitterly opposed
Another amendment which would
safeguard party organizations from
invasion by outsiders. without work.
ing any radical change in the pres
ent primary system, might be drawn
along the following lines:
I'm case that in this state. or anv
county of this state, a question shall
arise as to whether any candidate
nominated at a primary election is
entitled to have his or her name
printed on the ballot to be used al
the general election under the desig-
nation of any established political
party, such question shall be re-
terred by the auditor of the county
or OF the state, in whichever unit the
dispute may arise. to the county
committee, in case a county nomina-
ton is involved, or to the state com
mlttee, in case a state nomination Is
involved of the party. the name of
which is sought to be used. and the