The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1899-03-31
GIVE THE DEMOCRACY A CON.
VENTI0N.

We hope when the State Democrat.
ic Executive Committee meets at
Jackson next Thursday, instead of a
State primary they will call a regular
nominating convention, which we be.
lieve will give entire satisfaction to
the Democracy OF the State. The old
way, we think, Is the best. Direct the
counties to call mass meetings, all on
the same day, to elect delegates to the
State Convention, to be held at Jack
son not earlier than August 18th.
Edgar 5. Wilson. in his Current
Comments in the Picayune bureau,
dated Jackson, March 9th, thus
speaks our sentiments in favoring the
old method of the Democratic party
in nominating a State ticket:
For a time all interest seemed to be
ccntcred in the action Of the State
Democratic Executive Committee
touching the mode Of nominating
State officers. Much discussion arose
us to whether there would be ordered
10y the committee a State convention
or Il State primary election. or late
however. it seems to be accepted as a
| fact that Il State convention is To be
ordered, and the knowledge that some
counties are going to allow negroes to
participate in their nominating
primaries seems to be turning some OF
those who have advocated IA State pri-
mary against such mode Of nOInina-
ton.
The State Democratic Executive
Committee meets in this city or next
Thursday, April 6. Those who ought
to know say that the committee will
be unalterably opposed to a State pri-
mary, and will order State cOnven-
ton. which has always leen the meth
cd adopted by the party in this State
for naming standard bearers.
An effort is being made to have the
committee recommend to the State
convention the nomination Of railroad
commissioners by districts. A SINH
lar effort was made four years ago. but
it was unsuccessful. Members of the
committee took the ground, in de-
clining TO adopt such an innovation
that while the three railroad commits
Si0ners come from diStrictS-the dis
tricts being the same as the supreme
court diStricts-that eacl, is elected
10y the people Of the State at larse;
that railroad commissioners are
State officers, not district officers;
that to nominate by districts would
compel the people Of two districts OF
the State, twO-thirds Of the voters, t.
vote for two candidates at the polls
for railroad commissioners in whose
nominations they had been denied
participation.
The Office of railroad commissioners
is not a constitutional one, it is Great
ed by statute, and the statute requires
that their election shall be had by the
people Of the whole State. not by dis
tricts. If the Legislature which
created the Office had wanted railroad
commissioners nominated by districts
and elected by districts it would have
been an easy matter for it to have
passed the bill creating the office tina,
way instead Of making it IA State OFF
&C. The division into the districts
and the stipulation in the law thai
one commissioner must come from
each district was done to keep two ol
more commissioners from coming
from the same locality, the idea being
that the public interest would be
best conserved by having railroad
commissioners live several hundred