The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1923-02-09
VOTING
FOR MONTANA BY
MAIL PROPOSED
CLAIM WILL SAVE TAXPAYERS
100000 - WOULD ATTEMPT
TO MAKE CANDIDATES FOR
NOMINATION PAY FEE.

TO MAKE CANDIDATES FOR
NOMINATION PAY FEE.
Helena, Feb. 5-The State Tax as
ISOLATION is going to urge upon the
legislature the passage of a bill which
it clims will save the taxpayers of
the state at lest 100000 in the con-
duct of next years primary elections.
This was decided at meeting of the
executive committee of the association
held here Saturday evening and con-
tinued yesterday according to Harry
B. Mitchell, president of the associa-
ton, is the author of the measure. and
it proposes that all primary voting
hereafter will be conducted by mail.
While some of the details have vet
to be worked out the bill provides
that at primary elections hereafter
all ballots shall be cast by mail, sent
to the county seats and counted there
by various county officers, in full pub
licity and with every precaution taken
that all parties and all candidates
shall be assured of a square deal and
that the secrecy of the ballot shall be
fully protected. The bill makes no
change in the primary law except in
! the manner of voting and in the filing
Of nomination papers. The principle
. Of the law remains intact.
Candidate to Pay.
1t is provided that candidates seek
ing party nomination are to pay a
small fee, two per cent of the salary
is suggested, at the time of filing and
the necessity of getting signatures Is
: done away with. Ballots are to be
{ prepared and sent out by the county
clerk to every registered voter, and he
marks the ballot in his home, return
ing the ballot to the county clerk by
mail together with his signature on a
card sent along with the ballot for
: that purpose. The signature on the
card is compared with the signature
on the registration books in order to
3 make sure of the commences of the
ballot, and in other ways every pre-
caution is taken to prevent any sort
of classifying. The ballots are to be
counted by county officers with watch
ers present to see that everything is
as it should be.
Carol Studied 1t.
Mr. Carroll has gone rather deeply
. into the cost of operating under the
present system and the comparative
cost under that proposed.
At the instance of the Founders OF
the Constitution, William Muth, Of
Helena, compiled figures as to the
cost of the primary elections in the
F. various counties throughout the
: state in 1916. According to these
figures the cost of the two primarie:
in that year was $4,000. It is fig.
(. ured that under the proposed system
the cost would not exceed 10 cents
:. per ballot; and if that is the case i
! would not cost over $4,000 to con
!. duct a primary in that way. Further
> Mr.. Carroll figures that this eos
= would be more than met by the filing
4 fees of candidates and it is believed
: that most candidates would rather pa!
the small filing fee than go to thu
!. trouble of going around to get sigma
; lures.
- Aside from the economy proposed
J there is no doubt that there would b.
> advantage to the state in the mucl
! larger vote that would be cast unde
/ the proposed measure. Further Their
:, would be a very large direct savinI
r. of times and expenses to voters, espe
;. ciallv in the county districts, through
= the doing away with the necessity o
e each voter going personally to tn
m polls. ~
p bill viii be given Monday or Tuesda
T and the bill introduced shortly there
v. after.
=. The executive committee went owe
!, the legislative recommendations mad
: bv the convention at Billings in DE
2 cember, and it was found that all 0
i these were now before the legisla
n ture or that bills were in process Q
framing to be presented to the legs
lature.
CANCER SPEECH HA'