The New York herald., 1921-04-10
BILL DOOMS ALL
SMALLER PARTIES
Must Poll 100000 Votes to Get
on Ballot in New York
State.
rs AIMED AT SOCIALISTS
Wells Measure Affects City
Elections and Seeks to End
the Primary.
rs AIMED AT SOCIALISTS
Special Despatch to THE NEW York HERALD
New York Herald Bureau,
Albany. ADrl1 8. {

Special Despatch to THE NEW York HssALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
Albany, April ..
Politicians have just become aware
that the Wells bill. amending generally
the States election laws. is one OF
the most radical and drastic measures
offered this session. 1t has been slum-
bering SO long the lawmakers supposed
1t was dead. Suddenly it has been
brought out in the last hours of the
session and now the word Is being
passed along that the leaders have
agreed to pass it.
Reorganization Of State and county
election machinery Is provided. It is
supplementary to the bill abolishing
the direct primary system for State Of
ficials.
One Of the first things the bill would
do would be to put out Of business after
1922 the little Independent parties. The
law now provides that political party
Is entitled to position on the official
ballot after it polls 1900 votes. The
Wells bill would raise the figure TO
10000 votes. Tho little party could get
on the ballot in 1927 by petition, but
thereafter unless It received the 10000
votes or could get petitions with per
cent Of the voto cast for Governor for
tho designating of its candidates Il
would not get on the ballot. The result
would be to make 1t almost an impos-
sibie thing for new party to get
start. This Is presumably aimed at the
Socialist party.
City and county conventions would
have the right under this law OF nom-
mating candidates for city and county
offices to be voted on in the primaries,
and the party committees in other po-
litical units could name their candi-
dates. This would mean. In effect, that
the party nominating convention would
be restored for ali municipal and county
officials, although 1t would be provided
still that the nominees of these con-
ventions would have to be voted for In
the primary. But the fact that the nom
nations were made by authorized and
official conventions would decide In adj
vance the result of the primary and
make the latter merely a rubber stamp.
The existing election law Is repealed
In its entirety by the Wells bill, which
would take effect on July | next. 1t ~
three hundred page document and
deals with every phase of the election
laws.
Tho State committees OF the parties
would be rcorganized. Instead OF hav-
ing one member from each Assembly
district there would be two members
from each Senatorial district. That
would reduce the total from $50 TO 102.
For the county committees of parties
the law would make obligatory the ap-
pointment Of two instead of one person
from each election district with as
many In addition as the vote Justifies
on unit basis.
Another important provision Is that in
the event OF a factionai contest within
a party involving use Of the party en-
blem the Secretary OF State Is TO have
full power to determine which side Is
entitled to the emblem.
The office or the State Superintendent
of Elections would be abolished and all
his duties and patronage transferred TO
the Election Board. a bipartisan body.
There are between 200 and 800 inspectors
who would be transferred.
Public school teachers would be barred
from holding election offices on elec-
ton and registration days. All penalties
for violation OF the laws are strlken out
Of this bill and arc TO be placed In the
Penal Law. Smoking in polling places is
made u niisdemeanor. The pay OF cleo
ton officials is raised from $50 to si2
a day. Election officials are no longer
TO be exempted from Jury duty and the
use of churches for polling places 10
made the law.