The Monett times., 1922-09-22
NEWS OF THE
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

week enulNS OcPI. 1oJ A"AS.
Jefferson City, Sept. 15.-Atter
four days of discussion on the ques-
ton of the primary election system,
in which various remedies were Of
fered to better the nominating system
of the state, a compromise was finally
reached by a substitute to the COM
mittee report Briefly it gives any
political party which cast 3 per cent
# the vote for governor in the last
general election the option of choos-
ing it's nominees at a primary or a
delegate convention. The general as
sembly is charged with the duty OF
safeguarding the primary election or
convention.by law, so that no sharp
practices may creep in to defeat the
TiIl of the people.
During the discussion it was urged
by some that the primary should be
abolished entirely; because it was
charged that it had been failure;
that it did not give the people the
right to call candidates to office, but
that they were compelled to vote for
those who named themselves or re-
frain from voting at all. Others in
sisted that the law should be modi-
fled to correct the evils of the system
while still others declared that the
primary was all right and if the peo-
Pile wanted change they would dele
gate the legislature, which enacted
the law, in the first place, to change
! it.
A few of the members thought the
convention should let the whole ques-
ton alone on the theory that it was
purely legislative, but opposed to
those We're a group who pointed out
| that the legislature had done nothing
and was not likely to do anything
with a system that had brought about
| it's own nomination and election.
PEOPLE in some sections of the state
were declared to be in favor of the
| convention system, properly conduct
ed by delegates chosen to represent
the people, who should name all offl-
GERS in district larger than a county.
1t was stated again and again that
there was no fear on the part of the
members that the people of Missouri
would not vote right on candidates
whom they knew, but that under the
present statewide primary 1T was
absolutely impossible for them to sui
ficiently inform themselves on the
4 mass of candidates running for office
n in the state at large. 1t was a mat
ter of luck or guesswork whether
! they voted for the most efficient
} candidate or not. Some suggested
} the short ballot as remedy, but i,
| was suggested that this was ever
, more unpopular than the primary. In
: counties it was agreed that the peo
: pie were informed on the candidates
or had better opportunity to get &C
quainted with their qualifications, anc
| so there was little opposition to thu
local and county primary.
: 1t was pointed out in the genera
debate on the question that the ma
: iority candidate was seldom nomin
!, ated in a primary, if three or NOR
were running on the same ticket, AM
that it was possible for candidate
polling less than 20 per cent of tn
vote to receive the nomination.; tha
! frequently the poorest qualified candi
+ date on the ticket received the nomin
. alton and Sometimes men OF ba
/ character Secured places on the ticke
h by filing at the last moment and the
! winning the election over superlo
e men by the minority method.
o Another evil of the primary as a
\ present conducted was the spectacl
d of voters going into the primary an
a voting for the candidates of the OF
position party, in some cases for tn
4 purpose of getting weak candldat
/ on the ticket so that he could be dc
: feated more easily in the gener;
e election. e
n The proposition adopted in tn
committee of the whole will probabl
It be submitted as separate ament
', ment for the people to vote upon whe
(. they vote for the constitution.
n simply makes the method OF nomil
le alton optional with the politics
,r parties so that the people may sti
Id retain the primary method if they 81
IS fit to do so and on the other han
in may hold delegate conventions if the
wish. None of the members wante
,e to 90 back to the old mass caucus an
c. convention system with no legal reg,
e. lation, but the proponents of the del
gate convention were sure that Il
method of control could be made
VI secure that the people would get be
ad ter service and freer expression !
Up their desires than under the prese