The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-02-22
AT sI.OO, SIZE, SI.5O, SC.
PRIMARY BILLS FATE.
Adversely Reported by Both Senate
and House Committees.

There is apparently now little or no
possibility of the passing of The senator.
ial primary bill. In fact for some time
IL has been apparent to close observers
and the more thoughtful N EN- bers of the
legislature that the effort 10 pass such a
bill would be throttled in some of the re-
cesses known to experienced and astute
lawmakers.
This situation is the more remarkable
when it Is rememb ered that II vast major
lty of the people of the State want such
measure, and the Roanoke convention
only failed to demand it at the earnest
solicitation of Senator Da.iiel, who plead
the need OF more time to perfect details
There is, however, no longer suspi-
cion as TO why such a measure has been
permitted to sumber IL the house COM
nittee or why the senate committee Ie-
ported against it, and debates it now af-
ter the limit of time makes it hardly
possible that q substitute or new bill could
take the place of the one which bears
the adverse report of the senate commit
tee and has been rihdled by enemies who
sought to enlarne upon any imaginary
defect rather than correct, i-,Cicve and
pass such measure as would give tic
people an .oppol tunity TO express their
preferences for Senator aG the polls.
The fine Italian hand that guide the
matchless organization that defeated
General Fitz Lee is traceable 20 day in
the defeat of this measure looking To a
relegatlon OF the matter TO the people at
large.
The political friendH and asso,iates OF
Senator Thomas S. Martin are the bitter
opponents of this bill, and i matters not
whether it is the Reddy bill or any other,
the fight has been against any primary.
and the victory is we'll nigh acccui-
plshed.
The issue has not been drawn directly
Oh the junior Senator. His managers
were lar too shrewd to throw the gauntlet
down boldly on tn, floor of either house
and demand for him that the bill be
dctented q, hut insduous!y the web has
been woven, nLi. one by ole the natural
advocates of lite measure have beeu
drawn away from active support until
they hardly realize the mselves that IL
great s>lic has been s;detracled and tho
will Of II t people thwdrtcd in the pres.
cree OF ii najority Of their actual repre-
Sentaiives
There is no controversy as to the fact
that Senator Martin is unalterably OPP
posed to IL senatorial primary; In fact III
the committee ut the Roanoke convention
his supporters agreed to endorse the
scheme should the date be changed so AS
to take effect after the election OF the
next United States Senator.
1t was well know II that Senator Daniel
opposed the plan vigorously on the floor
OF the convention for the purpose alone
of leaving the field clear to Sc nator Mar.
tin without the handicap of primary
which somehow or other they AL seem TO
feel would operate to his disadvantage.
The advocates Of a primary plan are not
advocates of it for the pun pose of defeat
ing any particular candidate, fol, the cleo
ton of Senators by the people was strongly
urged in Congress by Hon. Harry ST.
George Tucker, of Virginia, long before
the present Senator came into the arena
Other States have adopted the primary
law without thought of preference toany
individual and the reasons that appeal to
the great mass of the people i'll this State
are far removed from the consideration
of the benefit or disadvantage that might
hefail any man; in fact the only man to
represent the people in either body of
Congress is the one for whom u majority
has Il decided preference, and the people
should have n chance to indicate whom
they most desire.
In the senate the committee on priv.
Ieges and elections, to W hom all bills of
this nature are referred, is composed of
the following mem bers: Senators Flood
(chairman>. Fairfax, Maynard, Turnbull,
Jackson, Barnes, Hartley, Foster and
Parr, the last named being a Republican.
No one conversant with the politics Of
Virginia would doubt that Senator Mar
tin had friends upon that COMMITTEES, and
as n matter of fact letter has been W rit-
ten To "a member of that committee from
the county CT Isle Of Wight by IL connec-
finn If Saratnr Nurfiu,u Il int, hin,
use his Influence against the priolaly
bill
Even this is not surprising, for such
things are done with measures of every
character, but it goes 10 prove the only
feature IN the whole affair that Senator
Mar TINS friends are against II primary
plan, and that a closely organized and
alert minority has well-nigh succeeded
In so arranging matters that the real
will of the people Mt large is not to DO
reflected in any legislation Whatever on
IL