The age-herald., 1898-01-22
PROBABLE CHANGE
 IN DATE OF MEETING State Executive Committee May Meet
 About February 16. PRESENT DATE IS FOR 22ND Mr. Garrett TalkS About Convention and
 Primaries. THE GOLD MEN WANT PRIMARIES To Select Legislators History of the Last Contest Recited-The Silver Men Want County Convention to Nom mate Candidates.
THE GOLD MEN WANT PRIMARIES

1 There may be change in the date for 1 holding the meeting of the state demo- cratic executive committee It is the opin- 1 ion of local politicians that the date will
 be changed from February 22, for which
 time Chairman Knox has issued his call
 to probably about February 15.
 l Secretary Nathan l.. Miller of the com I mittee said yesterday that this question
 had been considered by Chairman Knox I and he thought that gentleman had about
 made up his mind to change the date, al- though he could not say what day it would be held.
 February g is the day for the Mardi Gras Washington's birthday. This, 1t is claimed, | would interefere with full committee I being present. The candidates in the va 1 rious counties are anxious to know how 1 the nominations are to be made so they | can begin the canvass good and strong. l This cannot be done until after the state | committee convenes for no county com- | mittee will convene until after that time. There is considerable discussion as to | the mode of selecting candidates. Speak l ing of the question w. c. Garrett said | yesterday:
 Gold Men Want Primaries
 | Apparently there is no general opposition | to nominations to those offices which are | strictly local by primaries On the other ha nd fhara ie n almost unanimous Spnti- | ment among real democrats to have the | nomination of candidates for the legisla l ture and the election of delegates to | the state and chancery conventions made | by county convention.
 What little demand" continued MT. | Garrett, "there is for the nomination of candidates for the legislature by primary election is confined almost exclusively to those elements in our politics that were found most hostile to the democratic party,
 especially the election of MT. Bryan-.in
 the federal election in 1896. There may also
 be small contingent of candidates for the legislature who rely chiefly upon those forces for their support who oppose the.
 nomination of legislative candidates by
 convention. In other words, convention
 for the nomination of six candidates to the
 
 vention, is the demand almost unanimous ly made by the Chicago platform demo-
 crats, while primaries for the same pur-
 pose is demanded almost exclusively by those who opposed MT. Bryan, those who do not endorse the last democratic plat
 form and those who rely largely for their nomination upon the support of the allied elements of democratic opposition. sfrrha reason for division on tba 1inas in- dicated is manifest" said he, land it is
 not necessary to look for it beyond the
 primary election in this county in 1896.
 In that contest the opposition to Governor Johnston and his financial views, by req son of it's superb organization and strict discipline would permit only five candi- dates for the legislature, of their choosing and to represent their interest, to make the race, while not less than dozen free silver men asked the support of democrats for the six places to be filled. It was im- possible to induce enough of them to withdraw to reduce the number to six. 1.-The strength of the bimetallsts was so thoroughly divided that only one free sil- yer man (against whom, fortunately, the gold standard people made no fight was elected to the lower house, while the en- tire slate supported by the goldites was successfully primary election, if you please. Such was the result-disastrous to free silver democrats-of that primary. BimetaIIists Got the Senator. 'In the matter of the nomination of a senator the bimetallists were able to con- centrate their votes on a single candidate, with the result that he was nominated by a magnificent majority. although opposed by one of the ablest and most popular men in Jefferson county. History has way of repeating itself, and what the opposition accomplished in 1896 by political sagacity and discipline, in limiting the number of its candidates to the places to be filled, organization and the lavish use of money, may be accomplished in 1898 under like conditions and by the same agency, means and methods; and this Is just what the
 Chicago platform democrats propose to pre- vent this year if possible. Divide your en-
 emies and crush them,' is the motto of the
 money power. Unite our forces and de- feat the opposition must be the motto of
 democrats this year.
 ''There is but one sure way of having
 only six real democratic candidates for the legislature in this county this time, and
 that is to nominate them by a county con-
 vention of real democrats, composed of the
 most representative and reliable party men
 in their respective beats, to be chosen by
 the real democratic voters therein. Such
 convention can be chosen and such a
 convention will be held; and no democrat
 holding the good of the party and the well
 fare of the people above personal ambition and lust for office can reasonably object.
 'It Is impracticable to elect delegates re- spectively to the state, judicial and chan cery conventions by primary election, and therefore idle to discuss that proposition. A county convention will have to be held for that purpose. and can be no great reason why the same convention shall not nominate six genuine democrats as the party's candidates for the legislature, thereby eliminating all others from the contest. Do this and Jefferson county democracy will be again what 1t was