5. Precinct and Ward or District Executives. - In each election district in the country, and in each ward and precinct of the cities, the party affairs are managed either by the members of the central committee for that locality, or by persons specially appointed for that purpose. These are often known as executives for the district or ward, and they see that the voters of their party are registered, that doubtful men are reasoned with, and that the interests of their party are protected.

6. Primary Elections. The only way for a party to have its principles carried out by the government is to have men chosen to office who believe in those principles. Such men must be publicly named, in order that all the men who believe in those principles may unite in voting for them. This public naming of candidates for office is known as nomination. It is necessary that the same man should be named by all who belong to any party, in order that he may be elected. Quite a system of machinery has been made to accomplish this. The local public meeting of the citizens of the same party, held to nominate candidates for office or for other party purposes, is known as a primary meeting, because it is a meeting held before or preparatory to the real election. A primary meeting is held in every election district or ward in the State to nominate officers and to choose delegates to represent it in county conventions. If there is no dispute as to what men the party shall nominate or send as delegates, the primary is known as a district or ward meeting, and is a very informal one. As a rule, only those are allowed to attend and vote at a primary meeting who voted the party ticket at the

last election, or promise to do so at the next one. It may happen that two persons of the same party may desire the nomination for the same office, or two sets of delegates may desire to be chosen to the same convention. In that case a primary election is held which is modelled on the regular State election. Judges and clerks, representing the opposing candidates, are chosen, ballot boxes and ballots are prepared; and the State has provided a law to govern such elections, in case the party desire it.

7. Conventions. These are of five kinds in Maryland: municipal, county, judicial circuit, congressional, and State. County conventions are meetings of delegates from the various election districts to nominate candidates for office, to choose delegates to represent the party in that county in some convention in a larger area, and to choose members of the State central committee. Congressional and circuit conventions are meetings of delegates from the various counties in the district or circuit to nominate candidates for congressman or judge. Municipal conventions are meetings of delegates from the various wards to choose candidates for municipal offices. State conventions are meetings of delegates from the different counties to nominate State officers, choose members of the National committees and conventions, and prepare a statement of the principles of the party. Every four years a National convention is held to nominate candidates for President and VicePresident and prepare a statement of party principles.

1 Congressional conventions also choose delegates to National conventions.

8. Platforms.Conventions usually adopt a series of resolutions stating the principles which the party advocates and which the candidates are nominated to support. These resolutions are called the party platform. They are rarely adopted save in a State or National Convention.

9. Caucus. This word is used in two meanings. It is either equivalent to a primary meeting, or it is used as meaning a private gathering of certain members of the same party to determine on a common course of action. In this sense it is used either of a gathering of politicians to control a party convention, or of a gathering of the members of any party in a legislative body to agree on common course of action in that body; thus, we speak of a caucus of the Democratic members of the House of Delegates.

10. Instructions. It often happens that a primary meeting or a convention wishes its delegates to vote in a given way on some question or for some man. The convention then adopts resolutions instructing the delegates to vote in the desired way. These instructions are considered to be morally binding on the delegates, as long as there is any hope of accomplishing their object.

11. The Unit Rule. When the whole of a delegation is instructed to vote for a certain candidate, the unit rule is said to be put in force and the delegation must cast a united vote for the candidate. In this way greater weight can sometimes be gained for a delegation in deciding the result of the convention.

12. Maryland's Political Position. - Maryland has always been a conservative State in political matters.

In the early years of the country's history she often cast her vote for Federalist officers, and the Federalist party maintained an organization in Maryland longer than in any other State. When the Whig party arose, under the leadership of Webster and Clay, it had a strong following in Maryland and carried the State at every Presidential election but one during its existence. In 1860 the State went Democratic by a very close vote. During the Civil War the Constitutional Union ticket prevailed. When that party broke up after the war, the Democrats became the great majority and carried the State in every election for nearly thirty years. Since 1894 the Republican party has uniformly polled a plurality of the votes.

1. Definition.

CHAPTER XVIII.

ELECTIONS.

A popular election is a choice by the people of some one whom they select to hold an office. When the province was first settled, all went to the county seats to cast their votes. As this became too inconvenient, election districts were established, and the people voted at some point in each district. The place where votes are cast is known as a poll, because the people are there polled as to their choice for the officers.

2. Ballot. In the beginning of Maryland's history votes were cast viva voce; that is to say, each voter told the election officer for whom he wished to vote. As this made it possible for people to threaten and to terrify those who did not vote as they wished, in 1802 the law was changed and men were required to vote by ballot. The ballot is a list of the names of the men for whom one desires to vote, written or printed on a piece of paper. It was found that each political party printed ballots for the use of its members, and as most men used the printed ballots which they took from a member of that party who stood near the polls, the secrecy of the ballot was not great. Every one knew how each man voted, although he might take the ticket or ballot to one side and draw a line through