The herald., 1896-05-22
The Old Guard and Its Waterloo
Tomorrow
THEY WILL ALL BE DUMPED
Precinct Primaries Will Win 10 On Easy
Walk
The Country Delegates VIII Decide the Mat
ter-The Feeling In the City Shown
in Brief Interviews

scAioAiO"s lhdt 10 tnc OPIllOh VI CNCAy
democrat Of any prominence who has
since last Saturday in an unprejudiced
manner followed the course Of pending
events.
| The meeting Of the Democratic
county committee at Turner hall to-
attended affair. Both the precinct as
we'll as the Old Guard or ward primary
enthusiasts, have been working tooth
and toe nail to bring about q full at
tendance. Free tickets and expenses
have been offered by the ward primary
people to such Of the country members
| OF the county committee as will come
into town and vote. This sort of mis-
sionary work has however had but lit
| tie II any real effect. The country peo-
pie are nearly solid for precinct pri
| maries.
The representation in the whole
county committee is seventy-five men,
bers from outside the city and forty-five
members inside. The vote as between
| precinct and ward primaries will figure
out nearly that way. The fact is that
| the ward people seeing that they are
overwhelmingly beaten, may offer no
| resistance at tomorrow's meeting to
| precinct primaries, which will make the
| thing unanimous.
The contest in the coming county con-
| vention will be upon the craftsmanship.
| George Patton wants the honor and he
Will PROBABLY get it.
FOR PRECINCT PRIMARIES
| The simple and direct question, DO
you favor precinct or ward primaries.
and why?" was yesterday put to a GER
| tain number of Democrats, prominent
| and otherwise.
There were those who preferred not
to answer and reminded one of the man
! who was asked which he preferred,
Heaven or He'll, and replied that he
had friends in both places. The follow
ing were some of the replies:
l.. M. Grider: / am for precinct pri-
maries. For awhile 1 favored the hold
| ing of ward primaries, but after giving
the matter careful consideration, think
ing 1t over in all its phases. have come
to the conclusion that the precinct plan
would give the most satisfaction.
Judge s. B. Gordon: 1 am most GER
tainly in favor of precinct primaries.
Through them the will of the masses
of the party is best obtained and the
Democratic party is the strongest when
there Is the most general participation
in its proceedings by the people who
compose 1t.
Judge A. M. Stevens: imagined that
the question was settled by the city con-
vention five or six years ago, when, by
almost unanimous consent, precinct pri-
maries were favored. 1t seemed then to
be the settled policy of the parties.
consider it the only way you can get a
fair expression of the will of the people.
Mr.. Chanslor of Anderson & Chanslor
favors precinct primaries.
Judge w. A. Harris: I'm Democrat
| and / consider that it is settled Demo-
cratic doctrine to hold precinct prima-
ries. In this way alone can you get close
to the people.
Gen. C. F. A. Last think you will
CO
day. Gen. Last was pressed for direct
answer. but would only repeat the above
remark
Hon. Frank G. Finlayson-Democrat
ic primaries should be conducted in the
approved Democratic way-home rule
fashion. The precinct primary enables
neighborhood Democrats to walk up to
a convenient polling place, drop their
ballots without delay and go about their
business. They feel secure, too against
imposition by the running in of fraudu-
lent nonresident voters.
Mr.. Abbot Kinney-Precinct prima-
ries will facilitate and secure the largest
Democratic vote. The plan invites and
enlists local interest, and the man who
attends a primary will go to the polls at
election time. We should invoke and
awaken the largest Democratic interest
and expression. and the precinct prima-
ry will help to that end
primaries. / am for the. precinct plan
because it is the most Democratic in
principle, Is sanctioned by long party
usage and because 1t is the plan by
which the honest Democratic masses
can easiest defeat the attempt to control
the party in the interest of cliQues and
corporations.
M. w. Conkling-I have always been
in favor Of precinct primaries and fa-
vor them now. They bring out the larg-
est vote and render the control of the
party by bosses more difficult. The plan
that secures the most general partici-
patton of the party membership is al
ways the best. / consider the objection
urged against the holding of precinct
primaries for the election of delegates
to the coming county convention weak
and hardly entitled to serious consider
alton.
FOR WARD PRIMARIES
Mr.. Marsh: believe in precinct rep
resentation and caucus and ward pri-
maries. There are some precincts where
you can't get enough people interested
for an election.
Mr.. Marsh's partner. Mr.. Ramish,
holds the same views.
Tom Donahue: I am in favor of ward
primaries that every one may be rep
resented. A lot of new territory has been
added to the city where there are no
precincts.
Theodore Bauer was asleep and sick
in bed and could not answer. He is
however, an advocate of ward prima-
ries.
Tom McCaffery could not be seen. but
he Is an acknowledged champion of
ward primaries.