The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-07
Little Difference Of Opinion as /
to Desirability Of This Plan "
Of Nomination. 53
TWO MEM BERs 3 :' (: OPPOSE. ?
ALL PRlMAR Y PLANS
Mr. Sheltman Desires Pri1alary)i
Only for Nominating United y
States Senator Congressman
Jones Favors No Legisla
ton for Prilnary Plai1,
Fearing Change. Z

In order to ascertain the sentiment Of 4
the Democratic party III all sections ot ]
the State as to the desirability OF a prl-$
mary for the selection Of State and other
elective officers the favor or dlsfavor8 Il
tho viva Svoce system OF voting, and !
the views ofbrepresentative Democrats al s IL
to tho merits and defects Of the Mac hen
general primary bill and the need OIL
this or otler legislation on these s,rlj-es
jects, The Times Dispatchsf a few days 4
ago sent out a letter to the fifty menn- h
bcrs of the democratic State Central
Committee and the ten members of the !
State Executive Committee. asking for
expressions from them OF the sentiment I
OF their communities. 8sS II 35
Tho object of this poll is to ascertain
the prevailing sentiment among Demo 81
Gratis as \ to the defects of the part ty plan 7
and the need. IL any there be, OF legislation
on tfefsubjec Of primaries, III 3 to last
night replies had 3 been ived frornss
twelve of the sixty me bers nof the two
committees. Just S20 sner cent. OF the total
membership. These twelve members rep
resent eight OF the ten congressional dis
tricts of the State, The two districts.
from which no replies have been received. D.
arc i the Fifth ana Second. There i SnreH
two replies from the Third, two from
tho Sixth, two from tho Eight III and two
from the Tenth District, q and one each
from the First Fourth, Seventh and
Ninth Districts. +. ", 1T 55E 3t
An analysis Of these responses devel-
cps the fact that hut two of the COM
n.ittee (Messrs. Barksdae and Sheltmam
oppose a primary plan of any Kind The 4
other ten are either unqualifiedly for a
primary for the nomination OF State and +
Federal officials, orsare not expressly ops
posed to such method DENOMINATION.
| at least four of the twelve who re-S
piled favor leaving tho method Of choosing
candidates in city and county elections
to the discretion Of the local party aus s
thoritles, and several Of the others are 4
not clear on this point. The remainder
favor the extension of the primary plan
to all officers Mr.. Sheltman favors prl--
maries for United States senator alone.
AS to tho viva svoce plan. eight of the \
twelve oppose tho viva voce plan. two
lnquallfledly favor 1t and claim that the
sentiment OF their communities sustatnSE
them, while a. third personally favorsg
the viva voce plan. but concedes that he (
Is in tho minority In doing SO. One
does not commit himself as to the methods
OF voting. Va
AZ to tho A1achen bill, Mr. FowlkesS
alone 1lnqualifiedly endorses it as drawn,
hut nearly all the others point out de-5
fccts In the measure, though praising' its 4
purpose and It's general provisions, Mr..
William A.. Jones, congressman for the
First District. and the real father OF the2
party plan OF primaries desires to see &
that plan given a trial In the State al
1npu nd. caa n
Machen bill. nor OF any other statute on
the subject, other than those now on The II
statute books. The majority of express
sions are that the Machen bill Is ,ln-B3
necessary, or that II Is faulty, Among
the flaws In 1t the one most strongly
impressed is that leaving tho 1 seleetion 1 \
OF elections officers to the circuit Judges.
Messrs, Patton, Boothe. Gordon, Button
and Winston point out specific objcc-
t!ons to the Machen bill, and state these y
objections clearly, together with the rea-
sons for them.
Mr., ]. ]. Lynch. OF this city. sug-
gests that IL stub ballot he provided for
primaries. With this exception he faYors +
primaries for all purposes, ,8
Tho letter or Mr., Jones Is OF especial 1
interest in view of his long and active
Identification with tho movement for pri- y
mtrlcs He entertuins no apprehension
that the State Convention Will rescind
or materially mOulIy lNe piElSa piall ItoWss,
In vogue. lie states that he does not 4
believe tho opponents of the party plan
have sufficient number or temerlty 70 at
tempt It's abrogaton Mr. Jones voices
the fear that the party will drop the ]
substance for the shadow, '"rhe Machen
rill," he says, mot only repeals the 4
Democratic party plan, but II most ef-
fectuully rcscinds the Norfolk GonYen.
tion resolution, which I submit IN nll I
Difference, should control the party con-
science until repealed by q state cons
yention. If this bill becomes 9 4
law, 1t will be within the power 81 any
state committee to say that the GOV,
ernor and other State officers shall pe
nominated by primary elections, hut that
no primary need be held for the selec-
tion Of II candidate for United states
senator
Mr. sheltman voices the other extreme
view, He declares sentiment IN ms cnuhr
ty practically unanimous IN Opposition
Ia the party primary plan; the VIVA
yoce system, tho most obnoxious tea-ss
ture; opposes tho selection OF election
officers by tho judiciary; CONTENDS that
the party plan debars men OF small
means from, aspiring to Office and as7
serts that primaries lead 20 biltefness
and dissension. PRIMARIES fill 4 lnas-5}
azine with explosives and give the Key &
~ ,ho anerny'' Is the pirtuTeE9ue laEss 4