The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1925-11-20
o. MAX and THE
SECRETBALL0T
Gardner Will Not Depend
Upon Machine For Nomi-
nation in 1928

Gardeners Armistice D y
speech at Greensboro is slowly
beginning to dawn upon slow
thinking North Carolinians.
Gardner has been slated by the
dominant political machine in North
Carolina for the gubernatorial noml-
nation in 1928. The organization
which bss promised him the nomi-
nations and ever will be opposed
to thatasSrtain device of honest
election laws, the secret ballot. And
now. nearly two years in advance OF
the next gubernatorial election
Gardner, contrary to every desire OF
his machine backing. comes out four
square for the Australian or secret
ballot.
His committal to the secret ballot
sounds the doom of venal voting i'll
North Carolina. Clarence Poe has
we'll said that politicians will cease
to buy votes when they can no long
cr stand by and see them voted.
But that is not all. Gardner made
his pledge to the secret ballot In
Greensboro, the home of Senator A.
VI. Scales in whose bonnet the guber-
nat0rial bee has been busily buzzing.
Scales has been looked upon as the
one formidable opponent of Gardner
in the next campaign. And Gardner
goes into Scales own home town and
cuts the very ground out from under
him: because when Max Gardner
pledges to go before the people of
North Carolina on the issue of the
Australian ballot, no issue of con.
sequence appears to he left for
Scales TO stand upon; it will do him
no good to talk about good schools,
good roads and low taxes. Every
body is for good schools and good
roads and everybody knows that low
taxes rs 4 campaign issue is so much
, bunk.
Gardner is evidently determined
to he the next governor of North
Carolina AMI it is certain that he
is not going TO depend upon the ma
chine politicians for his nomination
nd-clpction lie is going to do some
campaigning on his own initiative
and is going TO 30 before the people
! of. the state with certain well de-
fined and worthy issues. Gardner
! muSt realize that this is his only
certain opportunity TO realize his
great political ambition. He depend
ed upon the ,Simmons-Watts ma
chine, for the nomination in 1920 and
the machine couldn't help him be-
cause. the machine could not rp-
/ strain Cam Morrison frrm running
! for Governor at that time. Still
, depending upon the machine. Card
/ ncr kept ont Of the campaign of
{ 1921 TO enable the machine to keep
It's pledge to give Angus Mclean
the nomination in that year. Gard
ncr must realize that anything may
! happen between now and 1923 to
again put the machine in a position
where it cannot control events and
assure him the nomination.
. ln the light of the facts the
Shelby man has, shown great pOliti-
cal wisdaH.; and aggressiveness in
| picking mp at this early date the one
campaign issue. that will not fail to
carry in 1898. The women of North
Carolina, especially. will rally solid
ly to the support Of .. Max Gardner
on the one issue of a secret ballot.
ON this one issue Gardner will have
the whOle-hearted support of every
thomtSt and progressive Democrat in
the state. and will have stayed the
drift Of thousands of Democrats To
d, Republican, ranks.
Max Gardner did good days
work for himself when he made that
Armistice Day speech at Greensboro :
but. oh. what confusion he must
have thrown into the camp of those
cid line politicians who have here
tofOrc thwarted every effort to
remedy Il crooked election law under
which they could trade with assur-
ancc in the ballots of venal voters.
The wholesome effect of Josiah
VIM. Bailcy's work in the last cam
paign is now happily apparent.
Bailey lost his fight for the nomina-
tipn, North Carolina chose Mclean
;, instead and has lived to regret its
choice. But Bailey SO crippled the
! Simmons-Watts machine in North
Carolina that no candidate darcs to
hone to win u nomination in North
Carolina solely upon the strength of
the machines backing. No longer
may the machine hand pick its can
didate and secure his nomination
whether or no. The candidate who
wins. in another state election must
stand for something. Gardner has
seen the signs.