The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-21
WANT A PRIMARY
THREE CANDIDATES FOR ORDI-
NARY FAVOR THAT PLAN.
KEILBACH AND BAILEY
ANSWER HARTRIDGE'S LETTER ON
THIS AND ALLIED SUBJECTS.

ana Expresses n preference tOr q
Primary, without the Use Ot
Money-Mr. Bailey Likes the Plan
Too, But 1t seems Rather UtOpinn
to IIim-He Wants To he Sure the
Democratic Executive Committee
Can Devise n Plan That VIII Keep
the Election Pure-Primary Now
Likely TO Be Held.
Two of the candidates for ordinary
have replied to the letter recently adj
dressed to his opponents in the race
by Mr. Walter c. Hartridge. Mr.. Frank
E. Keilbach places himself squarely
and unequivocally upon the platform
announced in Mr. Hartridge's letter,
and Mr.. w p. Bailey, with some eau
tious reservations, agrees with all of
its essentials.
1t will be remembered that Mr..
IIartridge's letter to the other candi-
dates asked them to unite with him
in request to the Executive Commit
tee of the Democratic party for this
county to call a primary at which the
claims of Democratic candidates for
the office could all be settled. He
asked further that the candidates
would all unite with him in a pledge
not to use or permit the use of money
improperly during the election, and in
a further pledge to report to the Of
ficers of the law for punishment any
person whom they detected either buy
ing or selling a vote.
Mr.. Keilbach's letter is short and to
the point. He says: "Your letter of
the 18th inst received and contents
noted. In reply thereto, 1 will state
that in the question of an appeal for
a decent and fair election for the Of
flee of ordinary of Chatham county, 1
am in thorough sympathy and accord,
and am ready to cooperate with others
with this object in mind, for we need
clean elections in this county.
las already publicly pledged to
spend no money in violation of the
law, in any manner, even if l should
lose the chance of success and my pro-
motion thereby 1 will proceed in that
course to conduct my campaign"
Mr.. Bailey in his letter to Mr.. Hart
ridge, discusses the questions at issue
at somewhat greater length. He says:
your communication of the 18th was
duly received and l herewith send you
my reply to same.
ITO your question, No. l, desire to
say that / will most willingly and pre-
ferably unite with you in asking the
Democratic Executive Committee OF
the county to call, at as early a day as
possible, a white primary for the cleo
ton of an ordinary to fill the vacancy
caused by the death of the late Judge
Screven. This will at least, if nothing
else lessen the opportunities for the
use of money by eliminating a certain
class of voters, who always demand
compensation for their services and in
fiuence. ] can not say that l condemn
them for it, except for the debauching
influences, for that is all the poor dew
IFS get out of it.
"As to the improper use of money.
covered by your questions. Nos. and
3: These questions are to me startling
in their character and nature, and
must have so impressed you in their
preparation, particularly with your
knowledge of the purity of the ballot
that always prevails in Chatham coun-
ty politics.
yes. / win also unite with you in
these requests, provided the Demo-
cratic Executive Committee can form
ulate rules sufficiently strong and bind
ing to prevent. without the shadow of
a doubt. the possibility of the use of
money in any way, shape or manner
by any of the candidates what Is
known as legitimate expenses to be
designated by the said committee
1T is as much my desire as it is
yours to have a fair, honest, square
election and / do not countenance the
practice of vote buying, with its de-
moralizing influences, but at the same
time. there are, as you well know, so
many various ways and schemes re-
that candidates could not feel, even If
bound by an agreement, but that it
would be violated, If not by the candi-
dates own knowledges, 1t would be by
their friends. This would naturally
place at a great disadvantage the can
didates who were honest in their inten-
ton and really desired an election free
from all evil influences. but who would
naturally be forced to permit their
friends to resort to like doing or else
suffer defeat.
LAS to question No. 4, | must decline
to be a party looking towards prosecu-
tons for the buying or selling of votes
There are officers of the law and man
ayers of elections whose duty IL is /
think, to take charge of matters of this
kind and / do not feel that / should
burden myself with the responsibility.
In conclusion l desire to say that |
am not inclined TO believe that any one
candidate has n monopoly of good in
tentions or a more earnest desire to
have the election properly conducted
than any one of his competitors may
have. / give each of them credit for
being as honest as any other candidate
in the field. / have no reason to be-
lieve that they intend to break the law.
know 1t is not my intention to break
the law and ] give other men credit
for as much honesty as | may have"
IT is believed that the other candi-
dates, Messrs. j. S. Collins and Henry
McAlpin, will answer the letter of Mr..
Hartridge i'm the course of the next
day or two. When It has thus been
learned how many of the five in the
field at present are willing to take
their chances in a Democratic prima-
ny, II will be time for the next step
in the campaign.
IL Is believed that this will he an
united appeal from all those candidates
who wish TO have the matter settled by
a primary, TO the executive commit
tee of the county, asking that a pri-
mary election, 20 select the Democratic
candidate for the office, be held at as
early n date as possible. Some Of thu
candidates are already becoming anN-
ious that the election should be called
by the executive committee and that
the matter should be got out Of the
way. The impression seems to be that
81 "A.