The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-03-08

Hurt Amerdment-Siate Convention
TO Decide Matter ana Therefore
County Conventions Should Ascer-
tain How hen Stard Before S:iect-
ing Deiegates-I5 New Mills so far
This Year-Numerous News Notes
of General Interest.
tFrom Our Regular Correspondent
RALEIGH. y e.. March 6. 1900.
Only little more than one month re-
mains before the Democratic State con
ventiOn will assemble i'll this city.
During the next few weeks the precinct
primaries and county conventions III all
the counties will be held
PEOPLE N HEARTY SYMPATHY WITH
PRIMARIES.
! There is one feature OF the cii1npaign
/ which have been requested by members
OF the Democratic State Committee and
other prominent party leaders. who have
the best interests OF the party at heart
/ to call attention to at this particular
jlncture.
/ This matter relates to the free EXPIRES
sion of opinion and preferences of the
rank and file of Democratic voters. and
/
/ State and county conventions who will
faithfully and uneIringly represent their
, views and wishes. in proportion to the
strength OF every proposition or question
OF party policy.
| This can only be done through the
primaries and county conventions and
fair representative State convention can
/ be secured in no other way. | cannot
present this matter more forcibly than
by using the language of one OF the MEM
bers of the State committee. as addressed
to me this week. Said he:
WILL OF THE PEOPLE MUST BE Respected
"There has never been Il time in he his
, tory OF the party when it was more i'm
portant to ascertain the wishes of the
great mass OF voters and adopt and pur-
sue the policy and nominate the can
didates whom the majority favor.
Not only should the counties send
delegates to the State convention to vote
for Governor and other State officers in
proportion to the strength of each cam
didate in the county but there is another
and just as important matter Gf we are
to have harmony and good work in this
campaign after the State ticket is numi-
nated) which demands attention.
Il have seen nothing on the subject
from county chairmen and have noted
no reference to it in the reports | have
read OF the few county conventions held
so far-;lnd | say plainly that many
Democratic voters are interested in it as
much or more than in the selection of
candidates for Governor and other State
offices. 1t would be Il serious omission if
not a fatal blow to let this matter 90 by
default, and it is time high time that at
tentiOn was directed to it,
AS TO STATE PRIMARY FOR UNITED STATES
SENATOR.
II refer to the question of whether a
State primary of the Democrats OF North
Carolina shall be held to express their
preferences as to who the Legislature
shall elect next winter to succeed Butler
in the United States Senate.
This is a matter which the candidates
for Senator have not agitated much. be
cause of the suggestion that the amend
ment should be first disposed of-so far
as preferences for Senator is concerned
But it should also be understood that
the matter is also to come before the
State convention on April 11th. and will
possibly be disposed OF at that time
1t is known (or ought to be known
and we'll understood by the vOters) that
the State committee at its last session in
Raleigh evidently favored the primary
Cat least a majority of the committees
men did. and doubtless because they I'M
derstood it to be the will of their con-
stitutents) and the question was re-
ferred to the State convention. with in
structions that in calling the State con-
vention it should be explicitly stated in
the call that this matter would then
) come up-for the plain reason that the
: people OF all the counties should be mott
fled of the fact. and remember it in select
ING delegates to the State convention.
II Il county convention. or the major
lty of the delegates to Il county cOnven-
ton, desire that Il State primary on the
selection of Il United States Senator shall
be held-in order that the entire Demo
cratic party and every voter in it shall
have a voice in this important matter
then that convention should. in naming
delega ties to the State convention select
only such men as are known to favor
that plan.
IF the county is divided on this sub
lect. then let a fair and just proportion of
Senatorial primary men and anti-Sena-
tOrial primary men be selected delegates
to the State convention according to the
strength OF the two sides as manifested
in the township primaries and the county
conventions.
We cannot be too careful to see that
the will OF the people (the white Demo-
Gratis OF the several counties and the
State as a whole) is respected in this
matter
1t would certainly not contribute to
the success OF the party-to the State
ticket or the amendment-fOr the State
convention to refuse to order Il State
primary for nited States Senator if the
majority OF the Democratic voters OF the
State desire such n primary or vice versa.
QUESTION SHOULD BE SETTLED RIGHT
: 1t is equally plain that Qaying aside
the individuality OF all the aSpirantS for
the SenatorShip) the good OF the party
amendment will not be advanced by the
smothering and keeping in the back
ground this State primary plan until it
is too late to carry ont the will of the
voters OF the party-the only result of
) which would be to give opportunity to a
few politicians to defeat this plan in the
State convention. or so hamper it that it
would not furnish Il free and full EXPIRES
sion OF the wishes OF the Democrats OF the
State.
Il say that ii there are any such wire
pullers' land there may or may not be)
we are not doing the party service by
) keeping this feature OF the Senatorial
! question in the background longer The
t individuality OF neither OF the candidates
is involved in calling a State primary
1t only assures Us that the most popular
and satisfactory candidate will be select
ed-be he Mr.. Simmons zen Carr. Col.
Waddell. GOV. Jarvis. or whoever he
may be
The only feature of the Senatorial
matter which any OF Us have ever be
lieved should be deferred was the endorse
ment OF either individual candidates by
the conventions. And see that in one
or two counties the conventions have
even done that.
The primary plan OF electing Senator
has proved SO universally satisfactory in
South Carolina and the many other