Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-21
NOMINATING SENATOR'S.

II can hardly be gainsaid that the re-
mort OF the Committee on Resolutions
favoring primary elections for the nomi-
nation of senators would have been
| adopted by our Roanoke convention. but
for the argument made there that the
question was new one and had not been
sufficiently considered. As II was. the
vote taken there proves that the PROPOSE
ton has a vast deal Of popular strength.
Now. certainly, IT cannot be contended
that our voters "have not had time to
consider the question" The subject has
been discussed from one end of Virginia
to the other. and Mr.. Reddy has drafted
a bill which, II passed. will permit any
party in this State 10 make use of the
regular officers os election to give express
sion to the preferences of its voters as
TO candidates for the United States Sem
ate. Thus. the question Of expense. which
was a stumbling-block in the way of so
many members Of the Roanoke conven-
ton. will be disposed Of. Thus too. our
people will be able to vote at the pri
mary when they go to the polls to
vote for members of the General Assem-
bly,
AS revised by him. Mr.. Reddy's bill
proposes that the qualifications of voters
Of each party shall be such as each party
prescribes. In Richmond, we Democrats
would adopt the provision with respect
TO qualifications that has always obtained
here. and confne the voting to whites
only.
Possibly a legal question might be
raised as TO whether officers acting under
the commissions of the State would have
any right TO enforce rules that made a
seeming discrimination on account of
color; but lawyers who have looked into
the matter inform us they do not fear
any trouble from that direction.
Mr.. Reddys bill provides that sena-
torial primary may be ordered for any
party upon the petition of 100 voters be-
longing to that party in a county, and
800 belonging to that party in a city.
This would give "local-option'' to each
community. The practical result would
be a primary over the whole State, we
think but if any county or city did not
WISH 10 luSlIutl It's ltSlSldiolS ny HtdHS
Of a primary, it would not have to do So
This local-option feature probably has
more advantages than disadvantages. 1t
makes it easy to set the machinery in
motion and is simple in operation. More
over, and what is far more important, it
recognizes the propriety of no legislators
being instructed by other constituents
than his own. But one of the disadvan7
tages of the system would be that a pri
mary might be ordered in one part of a
State senatorial district and not in an
other For instance, Richmond and Hen
rico form one senatorial district yet a
primary might be held in Richmond, and
not in Henrico. In that case, our two
senators would not be instructed. True,
Richmonds vote would guide them to
some extent, but it would not be neces-
sarily conclusive. We suggest TO Mr.
Reddy to see what can be done to mend
that fault.
1t appears to the Dispatch that Mr..
Reddy has displayed both skill and ability
in furnishing the groundwork for a prac-
ticable senatorial primary-election sys-
TEN. And now, if all who profess to be
in favor of such a primary will but aid
him in perfecting the details of the bill, |
our people may have an inexpensive and
highly satisfactory law.