Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-10-09
REGARDING THE PRIMARY
Col. Joseph hutton Tells the Hi.torv
oft and the Viva yoce Feature.
OTHER MATTERS PERTAINING
TOIT.

| TUT.
Colonel Joseph Button, of Ammo
mattox, a member of the State Demo
cratic Committee from the Tent
District, and long secretary of tin,
committee, speaking to a reporter fol
the Times Dispatch of the statemen
published several times, in which i
was intimated that the opponents O
the primary plan succeeded in en-
grating upon it the viva voce featur,
with the hope of making it unpopu
lar, utterly denies this charge. Sew
erai times it has been intimated tina
the plan was "loaded" by Its oppo
nents with the purpose of making il
unpopular and thereby securing il,
repeal
The Appomattox member of tn,
committee not only characterizes thi.
charge as unfounded, but, as one OF
the minority faction of the commit
tee, shows that it would have beer
impossible for the minority to leave
such an Impress upon the plan. III,
shows that this feature was engrafted
by one of the ardent friends of the
movement for primaries, and tina,
it was adopted with practical, if moi
absolute, unsnimity.
Colonel Button thus outlined the
history of the adoption of the plan
"The viva voce method of voting
In our primaries seems to be coming
In for . great deal of criticism lust
now, and the Richmond papers have
on several occasions made the charge
that the State committeeman op.
posed to the primary forced the
adoption Of the viva voca clause in
the hope that this feature would
prove so unpopular as to kill the
whole plan,' This assertion is ab.
solutely without foundation, as
shall endeavor to show.
"The gubernatorial invention
held In Norfolk in 1901, which was
controlled by the advocates of the
primary, adopted a resolution making
1t mandatory upon the State Com.
mlttee to provide plan of primary
Tor the nomination of every officer,
from United States Senator down.
The State Committee subsequentl
met and referred the matter to n
su bcommittee of ten, one from each
congressional district, to be appointed
by the State chairman, who was to
be ex-officio member.
"This committee was appointed.
and met at Chairman Ellyson's home.
and there were present Claggett b.
Jones, DIR. j. +. Bryant, John S.
Harwood, A. ID. Watkins, ]. M.
Hooker, John r. Edmunds, r. Lind
say Gordon, Walter b. Richards and
myself. All of the above named
gentlemen, with the exception of
Judge Watkins, Mr.. Hooper and
myself, were warm supporters of
Governor Montague in the guberna-
torial contest, and, therefore, / take
1t, were in sympathy with the action
OF the majority in the convention
with reference to the primary.
"Many plans were presented for
our consideration, the subcommittee
finally adopting, with some modifica-
lions, one drawn by an original ad-
vocate of the primary in which was
embodied the viva voce feature. The
meeting of the subcommittee was
harmonious throughout, and the plan
which they presented to the State
Central Committee commanded the
support of every member of the sub
committee. When it was presented
to the State Committee for its con-
sideration, my recollection is that
there was absolutely no division as
to the viva voce feature, and the onlv
change made was the one striking
out that portion which provided for
ievying assessments upon the candi-
dates to defray the expenses of the
primary. This was done under the
leadership of Congressman Glass. /
do not recall any other change that
was made or attempted to be made.
"At recent meeting of the State
Committee some of the original ad.
vocates of the primary attempted by
resolution to repeal the viva voce
feature, but it was voted down, some
of those voting against the change
holding that the committee had not
the power to act upon it, and others,
ike myself, holding that no change
should be made until the entire plan
had been given fair trial in the
primaries, which were about to be
held.
"ln view of these facts, / do not
see how it can be honestly charged
that the enemies Of the primary
loaded it down; on the contrary, the
responsibility rests with its friends.
who were in. control in the conven.
ton which declared for il, in the
gu bcommittee which drafted 1t and
IN the State Committee which adopted
it.
(From Norfolk La,Mmark.)
Quite Symposium" has been
started by our venturipg to doubt the
claim that the viva voce method of
voting is so Such better than the
secret ballot as safeguard of the
honesty of the count. The Newport
News Times Herald was the first to
take issue with us, epitomizing its
views as follows:
"With q crook in the ballot box
4 n l. l.
crook as candidate who buys votes,
It does not look as if the millenium
vas ever to be reached by this route,
but We believe the viva voce vote with
The Barksdale bill comes the nearest
70 it."
Of course. the provisions of the
Barksdali bill, which the Landmark
heartily advocated, remain in force
ust the same under the method of |
1oting by ballot.
The VIRGINIA CITIZEN, of Irving