Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-09-15

electors.
Oconee polled 1Ss votes. had two dele
gates, or one vote for every "a electors.
Ebert polled I, 7SS votes. had four dele
gates. or one vote for every 4S4 IL electors.
Schley polled 200 votes, had two delegates
or one vote for every 104 IL electors.
Worth polled 1888 votes, had two dele
gates, or one vote for every 796 IL cleo
tors.
Twiggs poIled 195 votes, had two dele
gates. or one vote for every 81 IL electors.
Dolly pOlled 1884 votes, had four dele
gates, or one vote for every 4s3 Ia cleo
tors.
This list and its inequalities could be spun
out indefinitely, but the above examples
are sufficient to demonstrate the injustice
of the present system have chosen for
illustration counties without any large
cities in them, agricultural counties in
different sections of the state. Can there
be suggested any good reason why 50 cleo
tors in Baker county should be given as
much voting power in a Democratic pri-
mary as 1876 electors in the neighboring
county of Worth? Is IL claimed that the
voters in Baker represent either more
wealth, culture, intelligence or good breed
ing than their neighbors. or is Democracy
in Georgia growing to distrust the people
and evolving itself into an aristocratic
party?
"a. Our so-called primary IS an ideal
method of perpetuating machine politics.
The machine maintains an organization
in every county, while its adversaries as
a general rule have to organize for each
election. The machine, therefore, has a
reliable phalanx that however largely 1t
may be in the minority in the state bids
fair to secure the delegates in the larger
proportion of counties.
There is one feature, however, Of our
primary to which you omitted calling at
| IN, urhfoh (1nnrcfa lea de all her sis
| ter states, and that is in the time of hold
| ing the primary. All of Georgia's neigh
bors have Just completed their nominating
campaigns. The nominations in all OF
these states are called for that season Of
| the year when the people have time not
| only to study the issues involved, but 1t is
4 during the leisure months of the year
when every opportunity is afforded them
/ to attend and hear public discussion
\ thereof, to canvass among themselves
/ both candidates and measures; it is be-
| tween sowing and harvest, when on the
/ day the primary comes of not single
| care at home to keep them from the polls.
If the object is to consult all the members
| of the party and get full vote our neigh
| bors have adopted an ideal season Of the
year to hold their campaigns and their
| primary elections. In Georgia, however,
we are as much ahead of our neighb0rs
/ in the time of holding primaries as you
erOneC uSIy thought they were IN ADOPT
ing it. Our people have not the time to
! be bothered with the office-seeker. We
/ want to get rid of him as soon as possible.
Besides, we don't care to burden the poor
people WI the troubles Of government.
| The great masses of them pay so little at
| tention to measures and policies that If the
| discussion hereof was thrown upon them
| they might be compelled to the disagree
| able duty of thinking; to avoid compelling
them to this we hold our primaries
| early, very early. The canvass takes
place during that season when every in
| dustry is rushed with work, the grass
| growing too fast TO stop and near public
| discussion, so that if a candidate gets a
| hearing at all he must walk up and down
| the furrow with the elector. By this
| means we have largely eliminated that
bore the new candidate, the anti-machine
| candidate, and the nuisance of public dis
CUSTOM While our slow pace neighbors
| wait for hot months and the rest time, our
election Is held in the midst Of the grain
harvest. on a day when three-fourths OF
our people can't afford to lose an hour out
of the wheat field to go to the polls un-
less II is raining. And so. we manage to
get rid of the vote OF the uniformed cleo
tor and choose our nominees as they
should be chosen by the elect Of the par
ty In politics there is 70 doubt but what
we are the Empire State, a fit exemplar
and shining light to our less enterprising
neighbOrs.
BUFORD NJ. DAVIS.
Macon. Ca.