The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-13
A PRIMARY BY DISTRICTS.
IR. HARTRIDGE'S Committee
WILL NOT ASSENT.

Dor Organizations as Their Candi-
date and VIII BE Given Represent
tatIon nt the Prfmary-Mr. Hart
riGge viii oppose the Primary
nominee The Polling Places
named.
The democratic executive committee at
its meeting last night reiterated its de-
cisien in favor OF a district primary.
This shuts Mr.. Hartridge out Of the pri-
mary. he having announced through his
committee THAI he would not enter into a
6ls;ric; primary. The position Of 1Ir.
Es1-,-ssgs and his friends is stated fully
Il the lester g their committee.
-ns-s were rlst thirteen members Of
ire executive committee present in the
city oou-t nom al $50 o'clock, Chairman
6uBl-n1n 5enurred at calling the meet
ing 10 order in the face Of such an I'll
omen. bat waiting ten minutes without
any additions the meeting was called in
defiance CT the superstition. Two more
members strolled in later. The following
were present. Hon. F. c. duBignon. chair
man: J. J. Power. D. I. Christian, f. c.
Gleason. William Gibbons. J. 5. Collins
Samuel Reynolds. J. B. Newton, ]. F. Sui
livan, C A. Lamotte. A. L. Alexander. J.
f. Mcguire. John Juchter, J. F. Lubs.
Frank McDermott.
After calling the meeting TO order the
chairman stated its object, which was TO
receive the report of the subcommittee
appointed to confer with the candidates
for the legislative vacancy upon the pro-
visions for the primary provided for by
the resolution adopted at the previous
meeting.
Mr.. Collins. chairman Of the sub-com-
mttee, said that he had thought best TO
put the report Of the committee in Writ
ing, and he proceeded to read it. In &C
cordance with the resolution, the report
stated, the committee had conferred with
the candidates.
''Alr Harry Willink accepts in all re-
spects and abides by the action Of the
executive committee" read Mr. Col
Inns "Mesrs Walter G. Charl-
ton. Samuel Reynolds, T. ]. Da-
Wis and John r. Dillon, a committee rep
resentng and speaking for Mr.. Har-
fridge, declines 10 go into the primary or
dered by the executive committee upon
the ground that the voting is TO take
place in each district. At the same time
they make an exception IN favor Of the
Eighth district.
"Inasmuch .as the democratic executive
committee of this county has decided
upon a district primary, and therefore
that question is now an open one, we
have only to report that Mr.. Hartridge
has declined to abide by the decision Of
the democratic executive committee,
which we hold to be the constituted au-
thority of the democratic party in this
county. II is true that he recognizes the
justice of the rule. laid down by the
executive committee in calling district
primaries by conserving that a district
primary be held in the Eighth district,
but ne makes this exception an arbitra-
~ one and declines to be governed by
the regulations of the executive commit
tee as to the other seven districts"
Mr.. Collins then read the reply of Mr..
Hartrdge's committee to the sub-com-
mittee of the executive committee. The
reply states that Mr.. Hartridge and his
friends has considered the propositions
made by the committee to Mr.. Charlton
and that they accepted the offer to go in
to the primary under the rules which
governed the last primary. slight
change in paragraph three OF the rules
was suggested on account Of the change
in the registration law.
I'm regard TO the date Of the primary"
says the reply, I'VE name the 18th inst.
This is only a week OF and is equidis-
tant between the action of the executive
committee and the election" Here is
the interesting portion Of the reply.
You have requested that we agree upon
the places in the several militia districts
where the primaries shall be held. This
we decline to do. Seeing no necessity for
O primary, since the contest is one res
tricted 10 democrats, we are yet, in the
interest Of party harmony and in defer
ence 10 the wishes of the executive COM
mil n
and submit the issues to a primary. But
we are not called upon to adopt a system
of primaries which will cloud the result
and which has been repudiated by the
Democratic party of Chatham county. We
therefore decline to go into district pri-
maries. You will remember that in 1892
the Democratic party ordered primaries
in the several city districts. The scenes
of disorder which resulted from this i'll
advised step were yet fresh in the public
mind when the party acted in 1894, ignor-
ing district primaries and ordering mass
meetings. AS you will remember this ex-
pertinent failed. and by agreement of all
interests the rules which have been sug
gested to us were adopted and the chair
man was requested to inforce them.
1.-THE party had tried the district system
by primary and mass meeting and expo
rience and demonstrated that neither way
had given satisfaction The agreement
house. This primary was acknowledged
upon all sides to have been entirely far.
Your committee is in Office by virtue of
that election Not only was the result fair.
but it agreed in principle and detail with
the general election law as applied 10
Chatham county, which required elections
TO be held at the court house That law
is still in force, and we know Of no rea-
son for multiplication OF polling places
which can only result in discomfort to
the voter. 1t would be within the power
of either faction to so crowd the polling
places that the quiet citizen who cares
10 cast his vote without the necessity of
fighting his way TO the box, would have
but slight opportunity to express his pref
erence.
I'VE have not been consulted upon
this point. The district primaries were
ordered and we were then invited 10 Join
in such suggestions TO time, place and
rules as would make them satisfactory
They cannot be made so by any amount
of conference. and as we consider that
the result would not be a fair and honest
expression of the views Of the party, we
decline to go into them.
I'VE gather that your decision was in
all probability influenced by the request