The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-09-01
THE SENATORIAL PRIMARY.

The Newton Enterprise expresses
the hope when the Democratic State
Committee meets in Raleigh next
week, it will see it's way clear to veto
the whole thing meaning Senatorial
primary. 1t adds that the National
ticket will suffer by primary "as did
the regular ticket in '94, from this
family quarrel over the Senatorship."
In 1894 whatever suffering came
from the Senatorial squabble did not
come from a primary certainly be-
cause the application for a primary
was denied by the party managers.
The primary, therefore, cannot be
held responsible for the 1894 calam-
ity, and we think its causes were
deeper rooted than grew out of Soma
torial contests.
The Enterprise also adds:
1--WE recognize the fact that the
State platform contains a resolution
instructing the committee to order
advocate the Populist practice of an
nulling convention work by commit
tees. But it is we'll known that this
resolution was stoutly opposed when
the platform was brought in at the
fag-end of the State convention, after
three-fourths of the delegates had left
the hall, and that it could have been
killed by its opponents raising the
- II M
have defeated the whole platform and
for harmonys sake, it was allowed to
90 through in this irregular way.
But the platform having been made
primarily for the August election and
that time having passed, we hope the
committee will feel free to act as it
would have been disposed to do, if this
no quorum resolution had not been
passed"
The Senatorial primary is not the
primary that the News and Observer
advocated in two respects. First, we
favored a legalizcd primary and wish
ed to have a law passed to give it all
election with sworn officers. We also
urged a provision to the effect that
no man could vote in the primary I'M
less he vote the full Democratic ticket,
from constable to president inclusive.
If the platform had been considered
in the convention earlier, so that time
could have been given for discussion,
an amendment would have been offer
ed embodying these changes, and we
believe would have been adopted upon
a roll call. However, that may be,
in view of the lateness of the hour,
when the platform was considered, 1t
was deemed wisest to adopt the re-
port of the committee, Objectionable
as it was for the lack of these two
provisions. AS to no quorum being
present we think the Enterprise is
mistaken in that. 1t is true that there
were not many delegates in the hall
but one delegate from county could
cast the whole vote of the county,
and if the point of no quorum had
been raised it would have been found
that while for example, there was only
one delegate present from MecIlen-
burg and Wake, both of these coun-
ties were represented, and these two
delegates would have cast sixty votes
for the primary. The same thing was
true of many other counties.
1t is well known that there is a
considerable element in the party
that was then and is now opposed to
any Senatorial primary. 1t is also
quite as we'll known that there was
and is now considerable element in
the party opposed to the Senatorial
primary adopted, to-wit: that con-
Quoted without legal forms and which
permits a man to vote who only
voted the Democratic State ticket and
for the amendment. They wished to
include also the electors and members
Of Congress.
These objections, however, Fan have
no practical effect now. The State
convention, the highest court of the
party, has ordered the primary on
specific terms, and upon those terms,
wise or unwise, right or wrong, it
must be held. I'he committee has no
authority to veto it, and we think
there is no disposition to do so.