Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-17
PRIMARY PROPOSITION.

we find In the last issue OF the MI
crn Neck News an editorial on the SUI
iect of a senatorial primary, from WHO"
wo extract the following paragruphs'
As to the question oil skpe,se,
News does not agree win ihe -,
that the cost OF holding u senatorial pr
mary would necessarily be very large.
Thai has not been the experience v.
those states in which this system VI
cboosing United states Senators mas
been adopted. At the first election he' 'a
a, south Carollna. an assessment o4 gov
WAS imi.osed upon each or tne nNe va"
l,dstes and 1t has been stated that
considerable part OF the amount 'hu'
contributed remained unexpended' III
many Of our counties judicial primaries
we're held last fall and. so far rs 'he
News has been able TO learn, inc eN
pense was borne by the Candidates anu
was entirely inconsidcrable. Ana Ju7.
here 1t may not be amiss to remarh 'l''''
those primaries in almost every instance
80 nitro satisfaction to the parties
Concerned and have certainly been the
means OF relieving the Legislature OF the
responsibility of deciding many Disagree
obls contests Those primaries IN mos
tnstances were held on the day OF tue
yenernl election, but held by Judges We
Iected either by those directly intereSteu
IN the result or by the party oihclais'
The Dispatch and the Clarke Courier
nre right in saying that All inc
Legislature ought to be asked 10
do IL TO pass general act thro"
ing around such primaries as MAJ
be resorted To 10y any ana all pon''O''
parties tho same safeguards that now
surround and protect elections heiu u'~e'
tho laws OF our Commonwealth
II has already been broadly limited that
the oupouents OF the primary system
would endeavor to have presented 10 tne
Legislature such a primary plan as coui"
either not possibly be enacted into law
or ~ enacted into law would prove SO
objectionable as to make 1t odious' IL
behooyes the friends of primaries III the
LEGISLATURE 10 be on guard for any such
trick as this. and the Dispatch Is III
position 10 sound an alarm should such
an effort be made.
What the Dispatch said was that ule
s.nenss would be large unless we could
make use OF the regular judges OF eiec-
ton 10 receive our ballots for the PHI
mary. or course. where other persons
can be gotten to serve without pay the
result would be the same, economically
sneaking. But the problem never could
be solved go satisfactorily as by getting
the regular judges to serve as primary
iudees too--if that be practicable. Ana
IN some places we much fear that II
would not be.
We do not share the News's fear mat
the Legislature may trick us In passing
q urinary election law. We believe we
can speak for great majority oil the
members when we say it is their unalter-
able purpose to pass a good law--one that
will be short and simple and which VIII
leave the details of the election 10 De
worked out by our party committee.
Now. let the advocates Of IA senatorial
primary prepare bin and have it pre-
scented and passed upon. If they would
have this work well done let them do 1t
themselves.
So far as we have any means OF know
Ing tho views OF members, the great
majority are willing to vote for a pri-
mary election law. such as the people
wish. We, however, do not expect action
upon the question until the Christmas
holidays are over. At present, members
are busy with other work.