Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-22
TO BRING OUT THE VOTE
MIR. sEFToN's DESIRE REGARDING
DEMocRATTC PRIMARIES.
Intention to Be Fair to All the Fac
tiens and to Have an Election
Without Compilations.

I'VE want to have democratic primaries
In the District of Columbia conducted on
such lines that any democrat will be willing
to go to the polls and vote" said Mr.. Ed
win Seton. the recently appointed repre-
sentative Of the democratic national COM
mittee to represent the district and to act
as one of a committee to make an arrange
ment for holding primaries here next
spring.
''Since the announcement Of my appoint
ment to the national committee" remarked
Mr.. Seton, II have received a great many
letters from democrats here expressing the
hope that the primaries would be so con-
Quoted as to be a credit to the party. In a
number of instances these men said they
had not taken an active part in the work
of the primaries in recent years, but they
proposed to go in for such work now.
MY entire purpose will be to suse such
influence as l have to secure a primary
election that will be fair to all factions.
and which will result in the election of
delegates to the national convention with
no complication to bring about a. repetition
of the difficulties that were experienced at
the last national convention.
My position as one entirely neutral IN
these matters of presidential candidates
seems to me to be one that I could not
change without injuring my usefulness. l
have shown preference for no candidate.
1t will be a very simple matter for the ad-
vocates of the candidates that may prove
to be popular in the District of Columbia
to instruct them If they so desire or TO
allow them to go uninstructed II that is
their wish.
II do not propose to enter into complica-
tons that will in the least tend to embar-
rass me in the main purpose have In view,
which. as l have said, is to secure tar
election"
To Await Meeting of Committee.
fpl- e..
sirable to take any active course looking
to the appointment of the other members
Of the committee that will make the arr
rangements for holding the local primaries
until after the national committee has met
which meeting will be on January II. Then
when the time for holding the convention
is determined 1t will be possible to fix at
once the date for holding the local Pill
nartes
Both the Norris and the Slater factors
will be represented on the local committee
but there has been no indication up to the
present time who these representatives are
to be. Mr.. Slater has called on Mr. Sefton
and has expressed his qualification over his
appointment as a member of the demo-
cratic national COMMITTEES.
Tho Local Districts.
Mr.. Seton Is having made map showing
the boundaries of the twenty-five districts
into which the District Of Columbia has
been divided for the purpose Of the primary
election. 1t has frequently been claimed
that some of these districts are too large.
even when the voting precinct is carefully
located in the center of the districts. That
will be one of the questions to be consid-
cred by the committee to make all the ar
rangements for the primary election. The
objection to increasing the number of vot-
Ing districts Is that it would increase the
number Of members of the local convention
which under the past arrangement, num-
bered sixty-six. or three from each dis
trict. 1t has been urged that to increase
that number would tend to create a body
that would be unwieldly. and there Is
good deal OF objection to that. There
might be an increase of voting precincts
in the same district. but that, too, would
be open to objections.