Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-09-25

Natter That Is Exercising the
Public Press Quite n Deal.

matter mat ~ Exercising the
Public Press Qnite n Deal.
In the report Of the Hot Springs
lawyers conference a short while
since, looking to steps and cam
paign to defeat Senator Martin, the
name of Braxton was associated with
that of Montague and Jones. Mr..
Braxton repudiates any such move
ment on his part. He says he was
not present, that he took no part i'm
it and has not entered into the re-
ported combination.
Willis b. Smith, lawyer of Rich.
mond, says the primary recently held
in Henrico demonstrated that a man
could be put in Office who was not
the choice of majority of the voters,
or rather that man could get the
nomination Of the Democracy with
out majority of the Democratic
votes, thing not possible in con.
vention. He cites an instance where
one candidate received plurality
and was declared the nominee,
though the two candidates opposing
him received together more votes
than he did.
N"It would appear as though there
had been sufficient development, in
Virginia in the past few weeks to
make it pretty clear that Gov. Mon
tague will not Individually be a candi.
date againstSenator Martin in 1905"
said gentleman from Fredericks-
burg, who would not allow his name
to be used. at looks to me now as
though William A. Jones would be
the candidate. He was participant
In the May conference, the object of
which was to have the Demo.
cratic State Committee adopt the
primary plan of choosing a candi-
date for the Senate. He was the
only member of the conference who
took the stump for Gov. TYLER, the
candidate representing the men who
called the conference. If he wants
TO run he should be given a clear
track by Gov. Montague and his
friends, though I am frank to say /
should vote for the Governor for the
Senate if he were to run and Mr..
Jones decline. p Wash. Corr. Times
Dispatch.
THAT HOT SPRINGS CoNFERENCE.
Anent the report of that meeting
OF prominent lawyers In conference
at Hot Springs In the interest of the
primary plan Of elections in this
State, 1T becomes pertinent question
to ask whether the said meeting was
really as described in the newspaper
dispatches, or whether 1t was q gath
ering of men antagonistic to Senator
Martin. But be that as it may, how
ever, it would be interesting to know
the status of this much discussed.
much talked of primary plan. That
the primary system, as prom ulgated
by the State Democratic Committee,
has been much abused this summer
is apparent to every man who follows
the trend of political events in vir-
glnia, but who are the men RESPONSE
BILE for this state of affairs |? Mopta.
que claims be is doing nothing
against the primary. Martin claims
the same. The Hot Springs meet
ing of all anti-Martin men, held
with an object in view Of preserving
this much mooted system, would
make it appear to the ordinary voter
that Martin and his friends are en-.
gagged in an effort to defeat the sys-
tenn; and yet, in this part of Virginia
such an assertion, If made, wouid be
asfalse as would one charging Gov.
Montague and his adherents with
similar action. So far as we are able
to learn, neither the Senator nor the
Governor is a party to any such
scheme, and yet the primary han ys
In the balance. Who, then, 10 re-
sponsibleP What caused the Hot
Springs conference to become neces.
sity? The answer would seem to be.
"the people themselves" or the men
who manipulate the machinery in
the various counties and cities of the |
State. The county committees in
several instances, without regard for |
the mandate of the State Committee. |
and regardless of whether the ma
Jorlty of said committees were Mar
TIN or Montague in sentiment, have
repudiated the primary out and ont,
and the old system has prevailed. So
Tar as that Hot Springs conference
10 concerned. it might as we'll admit
to future meetings conferes of both
the Martin and Montague factions
who favor the perpetuation of the
primary, since the fight is not against
Senator Martin, who is doing moth
ing, but against all who would see
the primary plan placed "hors de
com hat - H.eJorfcEc H,,~. Co..