Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-06-13
A CONVENTION DENIED
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE)

i
they believed to be the best and wsest
course under the circumstances confront
Ing IT, The May Conference. in addition
to other action not necessary 30 be men
toned here, adopted the following rcso-
| luton:
| y. We urgently and respectfully appeal
to the State Central Democratic Commit
tee to provide at once for holding State
primary or a State convention for the
| nomination OF a Democratic candidate for
The United States Senate TO be voted
for by the next General Assembly"
FIGHT WITHIN PARTY LINES.
1T further provided for the ap
| pointment Of committee 10 exc
cute as far as possible the wishes OF
| the conference. and that committee has
| selected me 10 present 10 you tonight
| the wishes of the May Conference on this
| subject We believe that ii Is wise al
| TINS Juncture that the party In the state
| should have a convention for the purpose
| OF nominating a candidate for the United
| states senate. and we appeal to you as
| The only power having authority to call
| such convention. We are deeply in ear
| nest in our advocacy of this movement
| but We propose now. and at all times. to
| make our fight within party lines. The
members Of the May Conference do not
claim 10 constitute the Democratic party
| Of Virginia. but they do claim to con-
| Stitute "A respectable portion of that party,
| and believe that they advocate views held
! by nine-tenths Of the voters in 1t. whether
| those views be in accord with the views
| Of those i'm authority In the party or not
| We come To you tonight with ndught but
| the good of the Democratic patty al
! heart, and we hope that you gentlemen
will consider our requests I'm the same
! spirit. May | be permitted TO say that
| no thought of candidates or of personal
wishes should enter into your deilbera-
| tiOnS tonight, but that the question
| should be considered in the light Of the
] wishes of the voters whom you represent,
| and the good of the whole party should
| be your highest aim. This should not
| only be true of the deliberations of this
| committee at this time. but true Of the
| work Of all parts Of the Democratic or
| ganiZation. No man can value party or
| ganizatOn. or machinery as If is often
| called. more than i do, and when mat
! machinery Is used as II should be. solely
| for the advancement Of the good Of the
| State the party's welfare aud against
| the common enemy. II Is an Instrument
| for much good; but whenever the ma
| Chincry of any party begins 10 be used
] for the peculiar advancement OF the IN
| terests of any individual or set of indi-
yiduals within the party 1t at once be-
comes a powerful instrument FOR eViI.
REASlJNS EOk ! he Il1NNNfI.
Il shall not attempt at this time" con-
tinued Mr.. Parker. ito fOrestall the ar
euments If any. that may be used against
the request that We make; nor shall !
attempt an elaborate discussion OF the
subject of whether the present method
of e.ecting United States senators Should
be revised or not. But when we look al
the number of States i'm which deadlOcks
have occurred i'm the legislatures, leaving
those States for a time without their
rpnTagHntgtiOn lie |
States Senate; when we remember the
instances in which bribery and cOrrup-
tion have been charged and proven In
connection with the election Of senators;
when we look at the Senate and see how
il has degenerated from Il body com
posed of the best and brainiest men of
the land To a body composed IN large
measure of men whose only quallncauOn
for the position they hold Is that they
have become rich, either through the cf-
fort of the labOrers that they employ or
by methods but little removed from those
Of the professional gambler, ana have
thus been able 70 buy a seat in the SEN
ate much as "A stock broker would buy
seat In the Stock Exchange. or whose
only qualification is that they faithiulN
represent the wealth and corporate IN
nuences that picked them up out of OBJ
SECURITY and placed them I'm this position
TO do the bidding of their political ere
atOTs: | say that when we look AT these
facts II ought TO be sufficient 10 make
change I'm the present method OF elect
ing senators before Virginia snail be-
come too much tainted by the use In her
midst Of the modern and disgracelul
methods that | have referred 10.
ASK FOR 4 CONVENTION.
owe ask Won TO call this convention at
this time-first. because we believe that
IL is the best method open 10 us at pres
ent for obtaining the election or sena-
tor. whoever he NAV be, who snail 'ei-
tainly be the choice OF the voters, VINO
win thus I'm effect elect him. The request
that YOU order a primary we DO NOT press
upon Won because we are prdcucaliN
satisfied that YOU would not nave ludt
right under our existing pan OF "is"ih-
2ation TO order such primary, however
desirable il may be. But tnat you nave
the right. according to that plan OF or
ganiZation. and in view or me action Vi
the last Democratic STATE COnNth'lon'
which nominated Senator John W. DahleI'
IN can q convention for the purpose IN
dicated i'm our request. we do not belleVe
will be seriously cOnrOyerteu 10y any "H t.
BESIDES the national Democratic party
has set a precedent practically DIV having
non,eutions 10 nominate y party candi-
date Tor President TO be voted lot ny
tho Democrats in the electoral colleSe'
instead of leaving each elector 10 eNereiSe
his own Judgment as TO whom he snall
support for President. The conNehu3ii
maj we ask for. when il assembled. would
he s,lnreme. and could. If II desired 10 40
So declare itself against the whoie loea
Of electing United states senator's by me
neoule and adjourn without making
DOMINATION. Should it take such action
vo,i wonld find none 10 acquiesce more
iovally than We will. And TO thoSe VINO
contend that the people are nor DehInu
this movement l say ma ~ ~ I'm om
vention is called they will have run OPP
to test the correctness OF lhtlt
views. Let them 20 10 WORK 10 secure
the election of delegates OF thelr way Oh
thinking and if they succeed III Seoui ars
n ,,"ioTitv of the convention, then, ana |
,,ot IN then. will they have right 70 |
.art that the people are opposed 10 THIS |
,,,o.-,
WILL PROMOTE HARMONY.
"sacond We ask for the convention De |
cause we believe II VIII De meas ol |
harmony in the party during |
he LEGISLATIVE contests next fall, and OF !
securing a Legislature better nlieu ior
the real work of a legislative DOuS IMAM |
we will have If the question VI nov a.
man stands for United states senator IL |
allowed TO enter the legislative hghts' as
II viii inevitably do unless We nave a
convention TO nominate; we az Tecdn
how bitter and facuonal the nshts over
marty nominations We're III the contest
-r,o years ago when the question OF a
senatorial candidate had been settled by |
the state Convention. We may look TOT
much worse conditions TINS taI unless
hat question is eliminated by STATE
Third. We ask for this convention now
because we believe that the best Time 10
ADVOCATE a reform is when II Is living
ssue. and hence we think that the best
inc IN advocate a change in the method
# electing a senator is when one is about
n he elected Some who oppose TINS
, ~ on orr mart say that they will favor
;ome such plan hereafter. but are OPP
,oeed ,o its being put into effect during
he pending campaign. 1t is my privilege
o surmise. but not 10 attempt 10 explain
H., M "a 81