The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-13
LAuDERDALE MEN TALK.
Discuss the Question of Calling a
 State Primary.

Florence. April 12-(SpeciaD-Y cor
 respondent has interviewed several prom inent Democrats of this city as to their
 views on a State primary for the nomi-
 nation of State officers. Hon. Emmet
 O'Neal late delegate from the Eighth Congressional District to the Constltu-
 tional Convention. said:
 The adoption of the present Consti- tuition was an unmistakabie declaration
 by the people of Alabama in favor of
 honest elections and purer methods Tn political affairs. The negro is no longer a political factor in the State and all menace to white supremacy Is removed. Methods which former conditions creat- ed will no longer be tolerated. A white Democratic primary properly safeguaro- ed and regulated. will in my opinion, secure more certainly than any other system, the expression of the party's will. favor a. white primary because l be- lieve 1t will unite the party and restore harmony in our ranks. It will remove the conviction which has been growing that the road to political preferment was too often closed to those best auali- fled and open only to those most skillful in all the arts of manipulating conven- tions and party machinery. The predic- tiops of those who declared that under the new Constitution fraud would be per petrated and a. political machine created which would dominate the State, would be shown to be unfounded, and with the consciousness that every White Demo- crat would have voice In the Selection of the party's candidates and partys platform, all excuse for factional differ euces would be removed To ignore the overwhelming sentiment in favor of . white primary would be to invite party discord and disaster. , from this county to tho Constitutional Convention. said:
 T favor a State primary for the nom- ination of officers. The Democracy of Alabama has placed itself squarely on the platform of fair elections, both by the qualifications 1t has required of cleo tors and the penalties provided against violators of the election laws We must new Constitution provides penalties for fraud in primaries as well as in regular elections, but there is no penalty for fraud in conventions. The voice of the take 1t can make will be as fatal as any manipulation which defeats the ma frity. A Democratic State primary will impose responsibility upon every Demo- tfo3al value. Some mistakes r3ay be made. but when the people have felt the weight of responsibility they have aalways borne 1t to universal advantage. No seeming expedlency should tempt the party away from the best method of securing fair party expression. know our brethren of the black belt have a sort or fear Of Northern and Southeast ern Alabama. but no mistake these sec tions could make can now subject the black belt to the danger of negro domi- nation and # this section registers the incompetent negro vote for selfish pur- poses then it must bear the consequeiices. If majority of the white Democrats is not to be trusted, then the party has lost its usefulness"
 J. J. Mitchell, Probate Judge Of Lau- derdale County. and recently a promi- nent member of the Legislature and an active participant in State politics, said:
 q favor an absolutely honest and fair white primary. If the now Constitution has removed the negro as a factor in politics then every white man in Ala hama ought to have an equal voice in the selection of ofilce-holders. Inasmuch as the office-holders are really chosen in the primaries or conventions the only way in which each white man can have an equal share fin their selection is hy participation in a primary. I fail to see why any man in the white counties should prefer & convention to primary in view of the fact that in the conventions one white man in the black belt counties has as much voting strength as four white