The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-05-26
THAT ASTONISHING ACT OF The
COMMITTEE.

Richmond would DC u""
demning the action Of the city conihi''ee
In determining that nominees Tor 'he
nav, Iegislature should be chosen by
convention. instead Of in a primary eiec-
tn hr. the State approves OF IT, and
the Dispatch's condemnation, II II Is a
condemnation. is so mild az to amount
otr,ost 70 approval. Very well. This IL
Tho people's battle. and, II The Times
can get no aid. it will fight 1T out by IT.
self
The Dispatch says;
"The city Committee is, OF course.
authorized TO decide the question ana
when II has decided IT, It viii be the duty
Of all OF us TO bow IN SracsIW su'
mission 10 It's decree
We absolutely repudiate any such doc
trlne. The acts Of the legislature, which
IS the Iaw-making power, bind all But II Is
bv comfy and TO forward the best inter
ests OF party, that we acquiesce IN the
acts OF the party committee. When such
a body so entirely transcends the au-
thority committed to il as the CITY COM
mittee did on Tuesday night, members OF
the party may submit or not, as they
choose. The primary election Is uhe
method upon which public opinion mas
centred in Richmond as the true way OF
selecting our candidates for Office. Inc
plan has been followed here so long that
Il is the unwritten law OF the case. Inc
Central Committee was appointed TO re-
spect that law. II IL is to be changed
that change must come from the people
themselves. When the committee under
takes to change it, It attempts to rise
above the source whence 1t springs
When a proposition TO change has been
submitted to the people has been debated
and discussed by them, and thoroughly
understood by them, and the committee
sees from popular expression that
change is desired no one would object 10
its making a change. But here Is
case in which the committee has under
taken TO make the change before the
people have ever heard Of the proposition,
or have discussed it, or come to any reso-
luton on it, The committee has exceeded
It's power, and must recall its action, or
the people will take other action in the
premises, if The Times can have any
voice in securing that other action.
The State makes the point that a
primary will be expensive. No matter If
it is expensive so long as it secures an
expression Of the will of the people in
| place Of the Will Of a ring. packing a
| hall with heelers and toe-warmers, called
| by it a ward meeting. But, as Mr.. Bowry
| pointed out to the committee Tuesday
now with primary elections that we have
learned how 10 reduce the cost Of them TO
a minimum. A primary. as he said, costs
now less than a third of what il cost a
few years back. But on whom does the
cost fall? 1t falls on the candidates, and
an abundance of them are always forth
coming who are willing TO bear the ex-
pense, and patriotic citizens who want
good government can always be relied on
to supply any deficiency
The State said something Of the fraud
in the last primary disgusting the people
with primaries. our neighbor is mistaken
about this. 1t disguised them with frauds
in primaries, but not with primaries, and
we believe no one will ever attempt to
! practice another fraud. But the people
are determined 10 hold on TO their pri-
maries and force those conducting them
TO conduct them fairly. The lesson Of the
last primary effectually bars the door tC
| frauds in future primaries.
But the astonishing thing in this move
ment is the determination manifested to
have convention on the 18th Of July
1t was bad enough to override the will
Of the people and undertake to force
them TO submit to a convention. But
why was that convention to be held in
! July? The election Of members Of the
| Legislature does not take place until
| November. Why select the candidates in
July? No one has thought of the matter
as early as July. and, at that time, a
| large body Of our best citizens are out
of the city. The selection would be made
then when there had been no discussion
whatever Of the relative merits of parties,
when the people had formed no opinion
on the question of who should represent
them, and when that element of the
people whose opinion has greatest weight
| with them is away from the city.
When the enormous rewards that this
Legislature will bestow are taken into
consideration with all the foregoing. does
it not look as though our committee had
allowed itself to be hoodwinked by de
signing men? Does it not look as though
measures were being taken to saddle or
| Richmond the worst representation shy
ever had in the most important Legisla-
ture In twenty years?
! CONVENTION INSTEAD OF PRIMARY
/ Our city Democratic committee have de-