The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-03-10
nr,ro.rrs rornE STATE CONVENTION

DFI,roA TIES TOTHE STATE
rh. ac4;on Of the city committees Tuesday
r;cbt in respsct to this matter BODIES no eoou
a. ,ha Democratic party. 1t adopted the
Nv. <r election plan for choosing candidates
tor 10 city Offices. but laid on the table q
| mot on 10 have primary election 10 choose
dial, ,cates 10 the State convention that Is 10
la,.t tbe States representatives IN the Ma
t;.,,al Democratic convention. In other
words il declares that the primary election is
tbe most satisfactory method of arriving at the
will of the people when sergeant ana Sherii
! and councilmen are 10 be selected, out WARD
meetings are tho most satisfactory hethod
| when delegates TO select fres'oehI Oh
the United States are 10 10 CHOSEN
The two positions are. Of course aDso'u'eV
contradictory. and one must be the true way
| and the other must be an Objectionable way.
That tho plan of the primary election Is the
true way of ascertaining popular preference
| there can be no sort of doubt. ana IL Is the
way for which this community has too often
| expressed its preference for any man. or set OF
| men, to trife with. The primary erection
| gives each indvidal voter an opportunity 10
] express bis individual opinion. and TINS IS the
very essence Of Democratic government.
II is well known that ward meetings are
held at night in small halls. OF winch the
professional" elemen. too often takes pos
session. The quiet. conservative members OF
society refuse TO go to these gathering where
they will be hustled. and where. at best. the
chances for deliberate action are small and OF
a cut and dried programme great. Conse-
ouently but small part Of this element IN
society takes a share in ward meetings. The
result Of the two systems, then, 10 that under
the one. we get an expression Of the will of the
people: under the other we get an expression
Of the will of the ''heelers."
The public mind has settled down to the
belief that the ward meeting" is Mr.. HIPS
especial and chosen method of procedure;
consequently, if the city committee force
that measure on the city against the wishes.
we believe Of large majority of the voters,
the public will hold Mr. Hill's friends re-
sponsible for tho fact and there will be
trouble in the party here. We raise our
voice not only in protest, but in warning TO
Mr.. Hills friends. With the situation such
as it is it would be in the highest degree IN
democratic to force choice of delegates by
ward meetings With the situation such as 1t
is, it is in the highest degree Democratic that
each voter should be allowed TO express
his choice. and that party will be
held responsible for an attempt to
smother the popular will, which forces ward
meetings and denies the people an opportu-
nifty to express their choice. In the meeting
of the city committee Mr.. John A. Curtis, OPP
posing the motion for primary is quoted as
saying that there was reason for depart
ing from the old conservative lines-from
those methods by which we had always sent
delegates to our national convention
is the ward meeting.
The ward meeting does well enough when
there are no divisiony. amongst the people.
and these. since the wax, happily have rarely
occurred in Virginia But Mr. Curtis memory
should have served him better He should
have recollected (for he took an active part in
it, that in 1880 there were sharp divisions
amongst the people of Richmond on the
question Of who should be the Democratic
nominee for President, and that the city COM
mittee, wisely yielding TO the popular de-
mand. ordered a primary election, which
resulted in the champion of one of the
presidential candidates receiving nearly
four of the popular votes TO every
one cast for the champions of all the others
together, and there was not heart burning
or hard feeling left as the result of the cleo
ton. Richmonds unequivocal preference was
plainly declared and Democratic institutions
were fully vindicatei. Instead, therefore. of
precedent being with the actions of the CON-
mittee on Tuesday night. it is directly against
it, The primary election was adopted in
this city. on the only previous occasions when
there has been a serious division amongst
the voters and it worked like a charm. The
city committee will do well therefore to re-
wise its action. and let the people have what
they want. primary election.