The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-11
A Suggestion as to Settling County
 Representation.
Editor The Advertiser:

Editor The Advertiser:
 All thoughtful and fair minded men
 must admit that the present system Of
 representation In our county conventions
 is rot only radically wrong and unjust
 but iniquitous in it's practical workings
 That change Is imperatively demandcd
 If we wish to preserve the integrity of
 the party, is equally as clear; but how to
 effect this change; how to proceed to that
 end, is the question which now confronts
 us. We must proceed regularly. We car not afford to do otherwise; at least,
 not until all regular means have failed.
 1 cannot agree with your correspondent, Capt. c. P. Anderson, in the proposition
 that 'The committee has the power to
 majority may decide" Conceding. for
 the sake of argument. that his premises
 are correct, viz, that 'The last two com
 mittees were not creatures Of conVen-
 tions. as they used to be, but were se-
 lected by the people who are supreme.
 just the same as delegates to a conven-
 ton were electedi" 1t does not follow
 that this committee is clothed with oth-
 the creature of the party to carry out it's
 mandates. whether expressed in conven-
 tion or by direct vote. The mode or se-
 lecting the committee has nothing what
 ever to do with its powers. The party,
 speaking through it's delegates in con
 vention assembled, long ago adopted the present system, and this system can only
 be cha nged by the party; not by it's EX- eCVllNe WUO oily SiohhCI
 with executive powers. to regulate and carry it into effect The question, there- fore, is how to get an expression Of the will of the party on this all-important question. Your correspondent, David, Is in some respects, more in accord with the correct iGea as to how to solve this
 puzzle. He says, The question of 'pri-
 mary or convention can be submitted
 as the question of ratification or mo ratification was recently submitted to all
 the qualified electors of the county"
 He forgets. however. that this may not be the only question involved. Should the vote he in favor of a convention. the vital ques tion, that of representation In the convention will remain as It IS, and the ills we now bear will still be with us, unless such a convention should see nt to make a change. :.
 "'Davio's' suggestion. however, to call a convention is the most feasible way out of the difficulty; but this question
 that of the basis of representation Tn this convention. at once arises. If. on the present system. 1t will not represent or test in any degree, the will of the party 1t will be but rehash of present meth
 ods-the same old story or minority rule" From the many suggestions re- gently made. I have evolved the follow ing plan for consideration by the com mittee: Let 1t call a convention for the
 express purpose Of sett Ing the quessioh on the convention to be composed of the same number of delegates from each beat as heretofore; but with the understand ing that each beat shall in the convention
 be entitled to voting strength based on the number of registered Democratic voters respectively. This VII certainlS i1, n the party. If, however. 1t should appear that any convention called by the com
 mittee must. agreeably to the resolutions of the convention which adopted the pres ent plan. conform to the basis of repre-
 sentation as therein fixed; if. in other words, this basis of representation is nol | confined to nominating conventions. but | to all conventions of the party Ia propo' l Sition upon which I am not prepared tC | speak) then let the committee submit | t9 the Democratic voters or the county |, the question of holding such conven
 me. me cannot well be questioned.