The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-06-03
STATE PRIMARY.
MT. Handley Discusses the Situation
 and Urges a Primary.


 To the Editor of the Age-Herald:
 I was gratifled and delighted to read in Sunday mornings issue the interview which one of your staff had with Hon. J. Craig Smith, state treasurer and can didate for the second term to the same office He has struck the keynote. He IS in line with the great majority or the people of the state. He certainly must un- derstand the public pulse of the great masses of his fellow-citizens in the state.
 He expresses himself as not only being in favor of a Democratic primary to se- lect candidates for state and county of- ficers, but he says all the candidates whom he has talked with for some time past he believes to be in favor Of pri- mary elections, to include all those who are candidates for reelection to state offices. This will destroy the anticipated friction that might occur had primary election been refused the people, besides 1t will bring about a spirit of peace, friendship, harmony and contentment in the party.
 The majority rule Is the doctrine of all parties at present, and none other will satisfy the people, and they ought to be consulted, and must be consulted, and will, in my opinion, get their demands from the hands of the Democratic state executive committee when they meet.
 The opposition to the ratification of our new constitution circulated report all over the state that If the new constitu- ton was ratified the negroes and poor whites would be dlsfranchised. This re- port caused many thousand voters, many of them lifelong Democrats, to vote against ratification. Since then they have found out that no white man who has made application to the registration of- flcers of the state has been turned down. and they are now registered for life. This action alone will increase the rank and file of the Democratic party in the state at least 250OO votes.
 The elimination of a certain class of voters in our state will be universally in- dorsed by all the people In the near fu- turc. In thirty-one counties in the state this class held the balance of power, and 1t was a disgraceful affair to see the Democrats, Republicans and Populists buying these votes in order to carry the election in these counties. This perform ance was un-Democratic, un-Republican and un- American, and hope never to see the like of 1t again. In many other coun- ties from a sense of necessity our people resorted to other plans and schemes In order to carry elections. They did right. They only did what you and ] would have done had we been in their places and today I indorse what they did. and their action on several occasions doubt less saved our proud state from disgrace l. ,H..A ' L. before-these people are the salt of the earth.
 Under our new constitution there will never exist any necessity for similar state of affairs. Reform in the election laws and fair elections will be the watch word In the future. This the people and the new constitution demand, and we must have 1t at any cost and at all haz. ards.
 As for myself, I am in favor of our next legislature repeating all the election laws enacted since 1865. then enact plain short business-like election law that everybody can understand.
 l want to see a similar election law again in force as the old Democratic and Whig parties used in their day and time before the war They used no booths or red tape. Each party had their party ticket printed. These tickets was dis tributed on the day of election to every. body. When the voter got ready to vote he went to the managers, handed them his ticket and announced his name. Ii he was the 95th man that voted that day his ticket was thus numbered on the back of it. The two clerks of the election wrote his name on the poll lists and on the left side of his name on each poll list appeared his number, 95. Hence the number on his ticket and botn poll lists corresponded and no mistake could occur as to his and every other vote cast at the election, being fairly counted, and fl It became necessary every mans vote and the way he voted could be traced and established. Under such an election law all elections would be absolutely fair l hope to see this or a similar election law enacted in Alabama by our next leg islature. Our former election laws an- sWered noble purpose, but for the future they are unnecessary and we can now dis pose of all of them.
 In conclusion I desire to say that am emphatically in favor of a Democratic primary election for the purpose of se- lecting candidates for state and county officers. The people are in favor of if. and nothing else will satisfy them, and the masses ought io 1e consulted and the majority will rule.
 l have been voting foc rearly 50 years. l feel l ought to have my say at this time l have always been a party man and voted the regular organized Dem ocratic ticket (old guard). But in this case. primary or convention, I shall stand by my record. My vote will be cast with the party that Is loyal and true to our new constitution. just ratified by the people because I regard our new consti- tution as Icing the best one possessed by any state in this u,non.
 June ?, 1902. w. A. HANDI,Ey