Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-11-10

it, there is not enough familiarity with
the general election laws. This is not
to be said Of the primary. Those who
have to do with elections know all
about that But somehow they fail TO
realize that the primary, hedged about
as it is by all kinds of safeguards, is
only for the purpose Of making party
nominations, and that it is without
any legal relation to the actual cleo
ton. No matter who might have been
nominated in the primary, whoever
gets the most votes in the general
election gets the office.
A Democratic candidate may have
received five thousand votes i'm the pri
mary; but if he gets none in the gem
eral election and an opponent gets one
legal vote, then the office must law
fully go to that opponent.
There are no restrictions. under the
laws of this state as to who shall be
candidate in the general election, eX-
cept that he or she must be u qualified
voter, and to be eligible as n repre-
sentative or senator he or she must
be not less than 25 years of age. The
age limit for governor is 80 years. But
even these age limits have nothing to
do with the right TO be n candidate.
That is'a matter for subsequent adju-
dcation.
Under the law as it stands, each
candidate is supposed to furnish his
own tickets; but, under custom, this
duty is assumed by the Democratic
executive committee, which the can
ddate has provided with funds for the
purpose, and therefore Of course, the
candidate, nominated under the rules
of the Democratic party, is not suppos-
ed to give the matter any further con-
Germ.
1t is specified in the law that the
names of state and county offices be
I-on the same ticket, and that no other
ticket be counted. The tickets fur
nished to York county by the state
Democratic executive committee con-
taind the names of the Democratic
candidates for state Offices; but omit
| ted the names of one Of the candidates
for the house and all three candidates
for the county offices to be filled at
this election-county superintendent of
education, county supervisor and pro-
bate judge.
These incomplete tickets were dis
tributed all over the county, and ex-
cept for the accidental discovery of the
omission in Yorkville and several
other precincts, the election for these
officials would have gone by default,
necessitating their being filed by spe-
cal elections to be held hereafter, and
probably only on the specific authority
of the legislature.
There could have arisen another con-
tingency that would have made the
matter still more awkward If it had
so happened there had been in exist
ence here another party organization,
and the leaders OF it had gotten ipfor-
nation Of these incomplete tickets as
early rs last Saturday. it would have
been no difficult matter TO quietly pro-
cure complete tickets with the names
Of their own party candidates for
county Offices thereon, and elect the
same. 1t is possible that the thing
could have been so managed that it
could have been accomplished with
only hundred or so votes.
But the lesson Of the whole matter
IS that those having the thing in
charge must give closer attention to
their business, or else sooner or later
they might have serious occasion for
regret.