The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-04
VOTES CAN Be HAD
IN SUFFICIENT NUMBER TO CHANGE
PRIMARY RULES.
SHOULD THIS BE NEEDED.
IN ORDER To SUBMIT RACE FOR
ORDINARY TO THE DEMOCRACY.

All but Two of the Candidates
known to Favor the FInn-Capt.
McAIpin Thought to Oppose 1t
From the Jump and Mr.. ketlbnch
Wants to Look Before He Leaps.
Effort to Defeat Primary Will In
voIve Attempt TO Defeat Change In
RuIes-NO Difficulty Anticipated TO
, Secure Needed TwO-Thirds Vote to
Pass Rules Tint Work for "A Fair
Election.
There seems no reason to believe
that there will not be primary to set
tie the question of who shall be ordi-
nary. The Executive Committee has
ordered it and with one exception, or
two possibly, all the candidates favor
it.
The exception regarded as reasona-
bly, certain is Capt. Henry McAlpin,
though this opinion is deduced rather
from what Capt. McAlpin has declined
to say than from any positive an
nouncement of his position. He has
never said he wanted a primary and
his friends on the Executive Commit
tee, Mr., w. p. LaRoche and Mr.. E.
]. Whelan, are about the only ones
who actively oppose it. Mr.. LaRoche
and Mr. Whelan both stated yester-
day that they did not want TO have a
primary in any event, Mr.. LaRoche
because he believed the regular cleo
ton would not take place until Octo-
oII foxny lie
sooner, would only serve to add bit
terness to the campaign and make the
winner in the primary fight second
battle for his election, and Mr.. Whelan
because he said he thought the negroes
ought to have voice in the matter.
Mr.. Keilbach is the second candidate
who has not committed himself on the
subject of a primary, though he has
always said ne was willing to enter one
if the rules for it's management as
sured fairness to all. His leading friend
on the executive committee, Mr.. John
Juchter, was another of those who OPP
posed having a primary called. the
other opponents of the primary being
ordered, opposed it only because they
wanted the rules changed to fit new
conditions before anything was done,
and in principle they heartily favor the
plan. These are represented by Mr..
Harry Willink.
All the other candidates, it is believ-
ed. are heartily in favor of the primary
and want it held. They all say they
want 1t held under rules that will en-
sure absolute fairness to all and If this
is their real position in the matter
there ought not to be any trouble in
arranging and deciding what these
rules shall be.
The impression is current that there
will not be more than five candidates
for ordinary who will enter the prim-
airy and if this is correct, there will be
but little difficulty. Each candidate can
be allowed a manager at each box, and
the five managers thus chosen can Sc
lect two clerks. This plan has been
commended by those to whom ii was
preached and seems to contain in IL the
elements of exact justice. That's what
all the candidates say they want to
have and to give.
Chairman ]. ]. Dale of the Board OF
County Commissioners told a Morning
News reporter that he did not
believe the commissioners would
order the regular election until some
date in the latter part of October
Many of the citizens of the county
are absent now and 1t was the opin-
ion of the chairman, which he said was
that of the other members of the
board. that it would be wiser and bet
ter to defer the election until their re-
turn.
Mr.. A. L. Alexander acting chair
man of the Executive Committee, APP
pointed yesterday the committee that
is to confer with the commissioners on
the subject of the day for the regular
election. 1t is not desired to have the
primary too far in advance of the reg
ular election, and for this reason a
conference with the commissioners
was deemed desirable.
The committee consists of Messrs.
A. A. Lawrence. chairman; f. c. Glea-
son and w. p. LaRoche. II will prob
ably appear before the commissioners
at the meeting next Thursday.
Save by the supporters of Capt. Nc
Alpin, il was said almost universally
that a primary would be held. This
was the view of the ablest politicians
in the county, of all political factions
and shades of belief The great ma
jority of the candidates, at any rate.
want a primary, and as they all say
they want a fair one, the politicians
do not believe there will be any diff
ficulty in arranging the rules.
The difficulty that is supposed to
stand in the way is the necessity of a
two-thirds' vote of the Executive Com
mittee to change any of the rules.
Those who don't want primary at all
will probably vote against any sug-
gested change, and in this way en-
deavor to defeat the legislation needed
to make the primary possible. Politi-
clans say that the requisite two thirds
vote can easily be secured TO pass rules
that will make for a fair and honest
election.