Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-13
SOUTHERN PRIMARIES.

The Dispatch published lately the full
text of the Alabama primary election law
and since then we have been looking into
the Georgia system in its financial and
other aspects.
The central authority there is the State
Democratic Executive Committee. That
committee fixes a date for the State pri-
mary election-that is, for Governor and
Capitol officers. All counties are required
to elect their delegates to the State con-
vention on that day. OF recent years
vote for United States senator is also
included in that primary. The several
congressional executive committees of the
State have of late called for the con-
gressional primary on the same date.
The various county executive commit
tees of the State are expected to execute
the instructions of the State Committee
with regard TO the primary elections for
Capitol officers, and in doing so about
four fifths of the county committees Of
the State call their county primaries
for the Legislature, county officers, ETC.,
required to do so.
1t is only mandatory that they should
call for primary for delegates TO the
State convention which is to nominate the
State-house of1icers-every county being
required TO act on the same date in this
matter The general trend in Georgia,
however, has been for all primary action
State, congressional, and county-to be
concentrated upon the day fixed by the
State Executive Committee for the State
primary.
Now to paying the cost of the pri-
mary: The county committees as gen.
eral thing levy assessments upon all the
candidates, but where everything is con-
centrated che day the pro rata ex-
pense is not very heavy.
Let us take The example of Fulton
county, whir!, includes Atlanta: When
ill the candidates fer county offices are
taken into consideration there are some
seventy-five or eighty Of them. 1t is the
custom in Fulton county to levy assess
nents only upon county candidates, re-
lieving the Capitol officers. The Capitol
officers are only paid $1,000 per annum. So
Il every one Of the 1S7 counties were to
assess them, large part Of their salary
would be consumed in such assessment.
Some of the counties in Georgia, how
,ver, are not as considerably disposed
toward the Capitol officers Fulton
county has been. Some of the county
,,,,sff Eaxya
,nly the Capitol officers, but every other
candidate-for senator, judge, solicitor,
and otherwise-who might be voted for
One Capitol officer has stated that the
arbitrary assessment levied upon him by
The various county committees exceeded
$500. Within the past few years a sue
cessful candidate for q high Office told
friend that he had been taxed over
$1,000 by the county committees toward
meeting the expenses Of the county pri-
maries.
we are assured that the system is
becoming very unpopular and that men Of
great influence now insist that the State
should assume the expenses Of the prI-
mary just as it does of the regular cleo
ton,
In other words conditions in Georgia
seem 10 be about the same that they are
in Virginia. with this exception-that the
assessments evidently are lower there
sthan here. One thousand dollars would
moi begin to pay the assessments in the
"a hundred counties and eighteen cities
Virginia
she expenses OF primary elections In
1apana are paid by assessments on the
enaIdates Quite recently tbs State
konmittee. by resolution. assessed every
ndidate Tor q State office a certain
- A1s.sAf Ma mistake nat 1ha county,