The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-01-20
PEOPLE WILL VOTE
ON The QUESTION
Rule Adopted That Candidates In the
Primary Must Receive Majority
Vote to Be EIected-Those
Present.

w committee last night adopted
the report of its subcommittee
regarding the city primary, and Sec
ond committee of five was provided
for to arrange the plans for the cleo
ton and report next Monday night at
a meeting of the general committee.
The report of the subcommittee as
adopted makes the following recon-
mendations:
Abolish the police commission.
Put chief of police on ticket.
Municipal ownership of water works.
Greater Birmingham.
Primary to be held March 2.
A majority vote for election.
Every member of the committee was in
his seat except two r. ]. Kerney and
B. A. Thompson, who were represented
by proxy by p D. McCloud and P. w.
Moore.
After hearing and adopting the minutes
of the previous meeting. the report of
the committee of five, which consisted of
H. B. Alternately. Charles Whelan, w. N.
Newton, Harry White and B. A. Thomp-
section, and each action was acted on in
dependently.
The report was divided into five Sec
lions, and a fight was made only on two
of these, those providing for the abolish
ing of the police commission and a sec
ton of the first section which provided
for the pledging of all police commits
sioners to vote for the man elected by
the people.
The First Section.
The first section of the report is as fol-
lows:
whereas, We understand it to have
been the specific purpose and intention
of the trainers of our new constitution
for the state in adopting those ordinances
pertaining to suffrage and election to in
franchise only those citizens having the
adequate mental and moral capacity to
govern themselves, and disfranchise those
not having the above qualifications, and
whereas, 1t has been fully demon
strated in our last state democratic pri-
mary election and the rules governing the
same having been set by the state exec
utive committee have been fully endorsed
and approved of by the qualified voters of
this state and county.
Therefore be 1t resolved, That we,
the city democratic executive committee
of Birmingham, accept the above estab.
lished precedent and approve Of the good
res'''ting therefrom, and thereby declare
that the candidates for the following city
Offices, viz, mayor, aldermen. police COM
missioners, chief of police be required to
submit their candidacy to the qualified
voters of the city of Birmingham for
their endorsement for said office and
offices.
BE 1t further resolved That no candi-
date for any of the aforesaid offices shall
be declared the nominee for the office
for which he Is a candidate until he shall
have received a majority of the votes cast
for said office, and In said primary,
should any candidate aforesaid fail to re-
ceive a majority of the votes cast as be-
fore mentioned. then the two candidates
receiving the highest number of votes
cast In said primary shall be required to
enter into second primary under the
same rules and conditions as heretofore
mentioned before he shall be declared the
nominee of the democratic party for the
office for which he is a candidate; said
second primary to be held within fifteen
days after the canvassing of the returns
of the first primary.
BE 1t further resolved, That the men,
bers of the board of aldermen and the
police commissioners hereby pledge them
selves to nominate and elect the candi-
dates thus nominated.
Adopted as Read.
When this section was read a motion
was mae to adopt it, but before 1t could
be voted on Committeeman J. w. Alt
man offered an amendment striking out
the last clause, which reads as follows:
..Be it further resolved. That the men,
hers of the board Of aldermen and the
police commission hereby pledge them
selves to nominate and elect the candi-
dates thus nominated"
This referred to the candidates who re-
ceived a majority of the votes cast. This
amendment was carried by q vote OF IL
tn G. and the committee then took up the
second section of the report without
adopting the first section. Before the
meeting adjourned, however. the commit
tee again referred to the first section
when a motion was made to reconsider
the amendment. The resolution to recon-
slider was made by Committeeman New
ton, and was carried by vote OF 10 to
4 ..--s4 30.