Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-06-10
A QUESTIONABLE PLAN.

,,,,,. as,aerned contemporary, the lamp
+o, Nonitor. is very much disturbed
over The action of the City Democrat
Committee OF Richmond in requiring
candidates for the nomination loi Wv
ernor to pay the costs OF the primal ,,
for electing delegates from that cily'
al OF us suppose." says the Monitor,
"tbst the other cities in Virginia initiate
the example of Richmond. Let us sup
nose that the same plan be adopted
nv Charlottesville, Danville, stanton
Lynchburg. Roanoke, Winchester Alex
andria. Fredericksburg, Norfolk Ports
mouth and Newport News, and by the
counties and lesser towns, too. nat
must the result be! why, SIMPLY that
tine man with the longest purse would
buy his nomination. And ali TINS from
the Democratic party-the party of the
people--;he party of equal rights, priVl-
leges, and opportunities Tor al,
If certainly strikes us that the Mom-
Tor has reason for complaint. We do
not know what particular reason the
CITY Democratic Committee of Rich
mond had for choosing the plan eX-
plained in the foregoing paragraph, and
we should not intimate without good
cause that any unfair motive prompted
that choice. 1t Is our belief, however
that the committee would have done
better If 1t had selected some other
method Of holding the primary, Inc
cost TO each candidate who enters the
primary at Richmond will be, we under
stand. 500 CThis is a mistake-The Dis
patch.) and it is easily seen that, if the
same process should be repeated through
out the State, very respectable fortune
would be required 10 defray the expenses
of candidacy. OF course, the Richmond
plan may not, in reality be adopted in
many places besides Richmond; but the
principle remains unchanged.-The Nor
folk Landmark of yesterday.
The primary election plan adopted by
our City Democratic Committee is in
the highest degree generous, so far as
IL refers 10 the election Of delegates
Richmond is the only community in the
State that proposes to give each euber-
material candidate his pro-rata share or
its delegation. upon basis ascertained
by a direct vote for the candidates.
Nowhere else but in Richmond is the
principal of minority representation re-
cognized and provided for. In this mat
ter our City Committee has stood up
80 very straighty, it has almost leaned
backward, as the saying Is. The assess
ment feature of the plan, however. must
have been inconsiderately adopted.
MIR. Eliyson has friends on the City
Committees; Major Tyler has friends
there. too (and brother also, and there
liant a man In Richmond who is UNI
friendly to Major Baker +. Lee-but they
all let this assessment feature pass un-
challenged so far as the published pro-
ceedings OF the committee SHOW. The
explanation is this, no doubt: 1t Is
the usual thing in Richmond TO assess
legislative and municipal candidates who
are seeking the party's nomination, and
the primary election form was probably
followed as a matter OF course, mem
con.
However this may have been, we be-
leve the City Committee, upon recon
Alteration, will see at once that this
feature OF the plan certainly ought te
be changed.
We must have a primary. We can'i
afford to so back to the old and objec-
tionable ward meeting system, when we
have primary election law; but surely
the money needed for a primary can be
raised by the committee by voluntary
contributions.
Let the committee meet abandon the
assessment plan. cut down expenses &c
the lowest notch, and appeal 70 the Dem
ocratic public for the necessary money
Surely. Richmond does not need outside
help 10 pay for electing her delegates
10 a State convention, And 500 Is moi
great deal of money for Richmond to
raise, and that would be the sum total
OF the expense OF primary