Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-09-27
THE sENATORsHIP.
Suggestion That n state Convention
He Called to Make the Nomination.


To the Editor of the Dispatch:
In the Dispatch OF Sunday. September
18th, after quoting from the Rockingham
Register and the Clifton Forge Review
as TO the question Of a primary election
in virginia to nominate candidate for
United States Senator. you use, editorial
ly, the following language:
1T seems 10 us that our State Com
mittee has no jurisdiction in this matter
our state convention-the power that ap-
| pointed the committee-refused to order
a primary election for the nomination
OF senator, and what right would the
| committee now have TO put into force
the policy that was rejected by the con-
| yention? 1t is, however, within the
| power OF each constituency to advise or
| instruct its representatives, ana TO do
so in the manner IL deems most effective
and proper. That Is a matter not sub
| ject 70 the regulation Of the State Com
mittee."
| You may or may not be RICH. as TO the
| binding effect OF the action OF
| the Roanoke convention upon the
| state Committee the question
| OF a primary election. But, admit
1
you are right In that position. believe
| you Will admit that tho state Committee
| has the power TO call State convention
! Qihe those We have to nominate Cover
nof), Tor the purpose Of nominating a
| candidate for the United States Senate,
| and | claim that, II 1t IS 10 be govern
| ed i'm any manner by the action of the
| Roanoke convention, IL will. IL properly
requested, follow the precedent set in
that convention, and will call a State
| convention 10 nominate d candidate Tor
| the Senate.
l have not at hand the resolutions
adopted at the Roanoke convention, but
L know that the substance OF one of
them was about as follows: That this
| convention endorses the candidacy OF
| Hon. John w. Daniel for United States
| senator, and pledges him tho support of
| the party, and requests that the Democ-
| racy in every constituency In the State
nominate no man in the coming election
| for either branch OF the General Assem-
| bly,. unless he is heartily in favor or the
reelection of John w. Daniel to the
| United States Senate" Here is a prece-
dent set by the convention that elected
the State Committee and | believe that,
II convention is asked for by tho cam
didates for the United States Senate, and
siderable portion of the Democratic
voters of the State. that ii is the duty of
the State Committee 10 follow this prece-
dent. and call State convention for this
purpose.
For myself. in my humble opinion, the
committee ought to call convention for
this purpose, to meet in the summer of
1892 and 1 do not think that the friends
of a primary plan ought under all the
7 =.
than that. That plan will get at what
is the popular will, almost, IL not entire
ly. as well as q primary. 1t is the method
adopted for the nomination of Governor,
and my observation Is, that at no lime
within the past eighteen or twenty years,
has Democratic State convention NOM
mated man for Governor who would
have failed If there had been a primary,
to have been nomina ted by the Demo-
cratic voters at that primary, and can
see no reason why the wishes of the mass
of voters cannot be ascertained by con-
vention on the senatorial question just
as surely as IL can be, and has been. as
certained on the gubernatorial question.
l am thoroughly convinced THAI only
the holding Of such a convention will pre-
vent serious rupture In the party in
many localities in the State, in the fall
of 1899 No one familiar with the situa-
ton can, for moment, doubt that the
senatorial fight will be hot one, and
that partisan feeling within the party
ranks will be aroused to pitch hitherto
unknown in such fights, and that ques-
ton ought TO be fought out and settled
on its own merits before the question OF
who shall be sent 10 the Legislature
from any section is taken up at all. That
fight over, and then Democrats can go
to work to select men for the
General Assembly with reference to
their fitness for the position and their
views on politico-economc questions, and
not with reference to whom they are for
for senator. Under those circumstances,
when a man is nominated the whole OF
the Democracy in his constituency Will
rally TO his support, none having any
motive 10 knife him and thus secure his
defeat and we will thus have united
party in every section. But II this ques-
ton of senatorship Is not settled In ad-
vance of nomination for General Assem-
bly, then mark my words you will see
confusion worse confounded and party
schism all over the State. The senatorial
fight will overshadow everything. No in
qury will be made as TO mans fitness
to represent his constituency in the Cen
eral Assembly. The sole question asked
or considered will be: Whom do you
favor for United States senatorT The
fight will be so hot that in very many sec
tions where the forces of the respective
candidates for Senate are pretty evenly
divided. there will in all probability be a
split and two Democratic candidates. We
all know how hard il was TO prevent that
in the last election for General Assembly
when the fights were merely over men
or local questions, mainly the election of
electoral boards. II that was true then
how much moro will IL be true when the
senatorial fight is injected into the nomi-
nations? Then, too, there will be thou
sands Of men in the State who will, In the
heat of the fray, care more for the SEN
atorial fight than for Democracy, and who
will If their candidate for the Legislature
is defeated, knife the victorious candidate
in the hopes OF defeating him of election
so that he would have no voice I'm the
Democratic caucus which would nominate
a senator. No SimOn-pure Democrat
would do this but we do know that all
Democrats are not Of that kind. and they
may hold the balance OF power In many
communities Such things would endan-
ger Democratic control Of the next Gen. |
eral Assembly on joint ballot, and just as
sure as you live. there Is danger of just |
such thing happening unless the sena- |
torial fight is eliminated from the legisla- |
tive elections. Then, too, II the Demo- |
Gratis have majority there Is posi- |
bility, owing TO the bitterness engenGtred |
by the senatorial fight, that u portion OF |
the Democrats elected may refuse 10 go |
into caucus on the senatorial question. |
and thus bring about such deadlock In |