The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1899-06-10
A PROTEST.

In an article IN the Clafloh
Ledger entitled The Kinds Coun
Ity Primary devoted to apol0giz
ing for and explaining the action o
tie Kinds County Executive Com
mittee in allowing all registered
wlith Democrats to participate Il
tile primary election, instead o
Ian allied electors, that paper re
| fers TO the action OF the commit
I ice as being "A triding and imma
terial disregard of the law lti
LOYALTY to,its county committee has
made the acknowledges extreme
lly mild in its Characterization OF
what in our Judgment is blow nj
the fundamental principle under
living the franchise article of the
constitution. The theory of thai
article was that by throwing cer-
tam restrictions around the eXer-
else of the franchise and placing
certain burdens upon it, that those
who qualified as electors under 1t
would represent the property
holding, intelligent white vote OF
the State, and that to the Demo
cratic party as The exponent anc
agent OF this element would be
given the control and government.
of the State. There is no other
way inwhich this idea can be car
ried out, than by making the quail
cations of those who would partici'
pate in Democratic conventions
and primaries as stringent as the
qualifications provided by the con
stltution for participating IN elec
tons The party can he safely
counted upon TO control elections
in Il legal method only by requir-
ing those who would participate
in the councils Of the party to be
qualified to participate in the cleo
lions, This seems 50 evident that
we would not have called atten-
ton to the article, except for the
fact that IN its endeavor to explain
the improper action of the Kinds
County Committee, the CLARION
Ledger apparently seeks to con-
done it by suggesting illegally in
the orders of the executive
committees of those counties
which have called mass meet
ings to be held prior to July LIST,
among them. Washington county.
The article referred to correctly
states "that no where in the cleo
ion law is there any provision for
nassmeetings. 'Thisleaves the right
o call a mass meeting unatfectedby
he code. That such an omission by
he legislature was inadvertent Is
lot to be presumed. Prior to the
.nactment of the chapter on prl-
nary elections in the code there
we're three methods which pre-
allied throughout the state for
he ascertainment of thewishes Of
be party in different counties, VIZ
y primaries, precinct conventions
r mass meetings,
In some counties one method
eing pursued, and in some an
Their; the selection of delegates OF
he making of nominations by
lass meetings obtaining probably ,
S generally as either Of the other
lethods. Whatever may have
cen the reasons influencing the
legislature, it is certain that no at
empt was made by it to regulate
b time for holding said meetings,
be- county, district or state execu'
I've committees being left free as
boy had always been, to fix sHcn
- I'D seemed to them best, The
ntion Of me "aIIittees ixing
lch mass meetings prior " ttS {
rst of July Is not in conflict VITA ,
nv statute law or any party rule =
r tradition, and while we are :
'illing for the Clarion Ledger to !
lake the best apology that it can :
u the action of The Kinds County q
Executive Committee, we must :
rotest against its defense being ,
ased upon imputations of illegal !
y on the executive committees !
lat have acted within the spirit .
nd letter Of the law. .