The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1923-12-28
TIE RICHARDS PRIMARY

ards primary Jaw IT J. >tficLiy lOrDid
den fora political convention to tran
sact business IN a sane, sensible and
orderly manner.
Under the Richards primary law i
is strictly forbidden to use any OF tho
recognized rules of parliamentary pro
ceedure in a political meeting.
Under the Richards primary law i
is strictly forbidden hat any OF til
preliminary business OF a convention
shall be dealt with in an order y, d,
liberate way by responsible men.
Under the Richards primary law ]
is strictly forbidden for a politica
convention to do any of these thing
which years, even centuries, OF expcri
nee has shown to be necessary TO
the dispatch of business by a public
gathering with wisdom, foresight an
without unnecessary delay.
For instance; under the Richard
primary law. any ass may intr,du
a democratic plank for adoption in
republican platform, or vice versa, an,
instead of being able to laugh it on
Of court, the convention must solemnl
go through q roll call vote to decide
whether it shall call itself a party o.
horsethieves, or not.
Under the Richards primary law, if,
for any reason, a proposalman is III
able to attend, or is temporarily alb
sent at roll call, all the votes he rep
resents are DISTINGUISHED.
Under the Richards primary law j
there be but one candidate for office ii
is impossible for the convention t
make the nomination unanimous o
by reclamation, but it must proceed
to a tiresome, unnecessary, time-kill
ing roll call.
Under the Richards primary law
it is strictly provided that n congress
man from this district must be nom
mated with the votes of proposalmen
from. '''across the river also; mel
who could not vote for the congress
man at the election and who have no
possible right or interest IN his non
ination:
Under the Richards primary law no
delegation contest a be c0nsidere
under a temporary organization n
to disfranchise any delegation fro,
taking part in perfecting the pernan
ent organization it is only neccssar
to file notice of contest, no matte
row unjust or foolish the grounds o.
he contest may be.
, Under the Richards primary law
is strictly forbidden that there should
be any. orderly, weli-thoUght oat pie
form "dopted The p'ttf rm mu {
a hodre-p dye of miscellane us planks
y .thort htad on tol rr cautiauitv
deliberate pronouncement.
Under the Richards primary law
is strictly provided that no po!itica
partv shah be able to leave a pro
rosal meeting with harmony and good
fceling in its ranks.
Under the Richards primary Law
ihcre IS practically no limit to tn
number of tickets which can find =
place on the ballot, and no unwindins
of the Withdrawals, combinations and
complications which NAV follow.
The Richards primary law should
be entitled, can Act to befog the
people, to create unnecessary expense
promote strife, prevent sane political
action, divide parties, invite faction
and make monkeys of proposalmen.'
Every proposalnan of every party
would have been glad to have included
q plank recommending the modifica
tion of this silly, cumbersome law
that makes a political convention look
ike a cross between a hospital for tho
insane and a home for the feebl
minded, but they did not dare. They
seemed to think people regard tn,
Richards primary law as sacrosanct
the guardian and protector of their
rights as voters. We do not believe
the people of South Dakota are sucf
chumps. They want a plain sensible
inexpensive primary, that shall give
them every onportunitv to register
their choice. without splitting parties.
/ into kindling wood and without pro
viding for a full year of politics be-
fore each election. 1t should he pos
|sihlc to write such a law in less than
200 pages and a thousand sectors
NO n should ask, or attempt, the
"repcal'' of the primary, but there
orcht to be brains enough III South
dakota to evolve a plan which has
more evidence of SANITY than does the
rre ert law.--Aberdeen American.
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