Studies in American History 
353 
The party was further guarded from outside interference 
in the selection of its candidates by the application to the 
primaries of the enrollment law of 1903. This law, however, 
was seriously defective in that it exempted, from its applica- 
tion, towns of less than 2,000 inhabitants and cities of over 
35,000 inhabitants.^^ 
The law applied to the nomination of United States senators, 
representatives to Congress, members of the state legislature, 
governor, state auditor, and all elective county officers.^® It 
did not apply to city, town, and plantation officers. 
A candidate secured a place on the primary ballot by filing 
nomination papers with the secretary of state containing 
names of qualified voters to the number of “not less than 
one per cent nor more than two per cent of the entire vote 
cast for governor in the last preceding state election . . . 
within the electoral division or district wherein such proposed 
candidate is to be voted for.”^® 
Signatures were limited to members of the party of the 
candidate, and any person could legally sign the papers of 
only one candidate for each position to be filled. Signatures 
were to be made in person, and the place of residence of the 
signer was to be indicated. One signer of each paper was 
required to take oath that he believed the signatures to be 
genuine and made by legally qualified party members residing 
in the district.*^® The secretary of state was intrusted with 
the duty of preparing and distributing the official ballots for 
the party primaries from the nomination papers duly signed 
and filed at his office.^^ 
The date set for holding the party primaries was the third 
Monday in June preceding the biennial state election. The 
usual provisions of the Australian ballot law were incorpo- 
rated into the primary law relating to care of ballots, polling- 
places, secret voting, posting of sample ballots, posting of 
warrants, and counting of ballots.^® 
The duty of canvassing the vote was intrusted to the 
governor and council with powers to correct the returns if 
errors were discovered after testimony had been taken under 
oath, and a hearing granted to all the interested parties.^® 
Ibid., sec. 13. Note : Portland was the only city above 35,000. 
Ibid., sec. 1. 
46 Ibid., sec. 5. 
4‘ Ibid., sec. 8. 
46 Ibid., secs. 10-15. 
49 Ibid., sec. 16. 
