The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1903-10-10
TO THE VOTERS OF CAROLINE
A REPLY TO Mr. ENNIS.

have not thus lar replied Co u card OF
Mr. Ennis in The Free Lance 81 ceptcm
Der 10Th because Of mOre pressing engage
ments, and can DO sO now only partially
unless should occupy more space than
1 am willing in the paper care to
say but little as 90 the actions Ui the
Democratic Committee inreiercnce 20 the
split and the recorded vote ! will merely
say, rs learn, such votes IN the com
mittee are unusual AMI were ~ my opln'
ION only resorted 10 in tins instance as "a
tllibustering movement TO reverse, II
possible, the action Ol the committee, and
instead of being as Mr. Ennis states IN
his card. IL Will be admitted that any
member Of the committee had "a right to
call Tor IA recorded vote IL will not be
admitted by any one at all c0gnizant OF
parliamentary law, for ! know OF TO
body Oi men political or ecclesiastical
aud not autOcratic, IN which a recorded
vote can OF right be had on the demand
Of "A SINGLE member The rules II the
House ol Delegates of Virginia, usually
adopted Tor the government OF pOllt!caf
bodies in Virginia. allows recorded
vote only on demand of one fifth ot IL
members. But pass over all this, which
is not pertinent now, and affirm That oil
all the candidates for office in this cOuu
~ am the only one who, month be
lore the Democratic Committee ordered
precinct meetings. published notice 70
them and the world at large, that | WAS
willing TO submit TO a primary election
OF a Democratic Convention constituted
On lair and just representation OF the
voters of the several precincts. have
not. pressed upon the committee tie
adoption Of any specific policy. have
only insisted that If they chose alter the
primary election 10 order further nomi-
oatiUus, aud this 10y "a convention, that
laid convention should be constituted
upon Democratic principles and composed
Of delegates from the precincts. not ~
0itrarily chosen, but apPortioned Ia pro
portion 10 the Democratic vote Of each.
While II IL absolutely discretionary
with the committee to order n0mina.
lions or have none, | deny that il has thr
power to fix the representation OF that
convention TO suit It's pleasure and re-
gardless Ot the Democratic vote of the
precincts. ! care nothing whether nomi.
nations were ordered or not, but IT order
d insist that they should have been
lair and Democratic and not autocratic.
deny that ia - counties Of this STATE
this tall. or in any single county except
arOline. has the Democratic Committee
had primary election for the House OF
Delegates, and thereafter nominating
convention for the county officers, an'
based The same upon an equal numb'r ~
delegates from the precincts rrgaroirss
Il the Democratic vote Of each. and
slate here now that if the Chairman Of
the State Democratic Committee or that
committee itself will approve and endorse
the action of the Democratic COMMITTEE
Ji Caroline in this regard, ] will az once
retire from the contest further deny
that the plan Of two delegates from each
precinct il az fair for one candidate ~
another or that il has heretofore been
largely adopted ia this county. such n
plAn is unfair in its conception and can
not work fairly 10 its execution opf
nan may feel sure ~ carrying precinci
entitled to 20 delegates. aud that hir
competitor can carry another entitled o.
only two. aud vet by this plan at two
delegates from each precinct, the 20 dele
gates count no more than the two. ans
convention 50 constituted a. 90 give -uu
voters no more power IN choosing party
nominees. than is given 10 20 yoters' ir
utterly unjust and indeiensible, and wac
resortei 20 10 the present instance, Do
NV opinion. with the sole and single pur
pose VI defeating me, il / submitted o.
The same. And man who accepts tlr
nomination from convention 80 con
-tructed should. in my opinion, bodily
ApprOye and defend it, construction.
II a convention il fairly constituted
then its nominee has fair aud Demo
cratic nomination, hut If not fairlJ con
stituted. then he accepts al unfair ano
undemocratic nomination, and ID 10
guilty Of its unfair construction As 1t he
had conceived and originated II. 10 thb
county from 1859 up 70 the past years
Democratic nominations 10 cases OF con
test were either made by counting noses
at all the precints or districts, and s1d
lng results aud giving the nomination 20
the man who had the majority oi the
whole, or appointing delegates from thf
precints in proportion TO the democratic
vote Of each, pro rata convention wac
thus formed Let the older Democrats
recall the contests between Dr. Quesen-
berry and Mgjor peatrOss Tor the senate
and DR.. Butler and Hudgin for the Houst
Of Delegates and many Others Of more
modern date. Departures, il ls true, have
been made. but these departures have
only been made in csses Of nocontest ano
done a. said at the time for the sake Of
convenience. | have known the Demo
cratic Committee in recent years 10 ap-
point delegates from It's own number 90
a Senatorial Convention without COZ
,ultin9 the people 81 all, but THE Wa
done. as stated, merely for the sake OF
convenience And because Mr.. Nieknam
bad no opposition, but presume zone
would claim such action az q precedent
or fair or authoritative in case objection
was made 10 O contested nomination.
A to what Mr.. Ennis says about the
committee. old and new, | have only t.
say that ia most OF the precincts Ia the
county no effort was made 10 charge the
complexion Of the committee; the lesser
contest AZ the people regard 1t al me
time is always merged into. the greater,
and in the late contest the question ID
the committee was largely lost sight %
in the warm and close contest DetWetD /
Judge Moncure and MIR. Powers, and |
thus il il likely always 70 be. We Leei
not wait for the future to elect com |
mittee which will sppOrtion the deiega-
ton from the precincts more fairy I
az suggested by Mr. Ennis, let Us ai'- /
DIV the remedy TO the sick patient now /
The disease is of malignant type, boz I
the people have in the ballot the remedy |
in their own hands. II the candidates Ci /
such unfair and undemocratic c0nVen-
tons are defeated at the polls in Novem-
her vou will never have in Caroline al
other nominating convention based on
sueb unfair and undemocratie apportloh-
ment. bot on the contrary. if you endorse
nv your votes and elect these eandi.
ates and thus approve OF the method 81
their nomination, then you may expeci.
and have the right to expect, the same
nrocsdure in the future. Mr.. Ennis says.
1.-THE plan OF having two delegates from
each precinct, without regard to IT.
voting strength, may not be lair or Dem
oeratic." etc. Why did he not say,
whether or not in his opinion. It was
lair and Democratic? Has be no opinio'
on the subject, or il ehas one u he
afraid To express and maintain itY MOI
he says It may not be lar
one would presume he really thinks It
Iair AZ he has accepted the fruits Of such
|. convention, and, therefore, az 1t seems
10 me. it il incumbent on him 20 main
tain its fairness.
This article ia now much longer than ]