The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-09-11
REQUEST FOR CALL
. NOT YET PRESENTED
City Committee May Not Meet
This Week
LINES HAVE BEEN DRAWN
Strong Opposition to Majority Rule at
Coming Primary Has Developed.
Committee Said to
Be Divided. 584
LINES HAVE BEEN DRAWN

1t is hardly probable that the city DEM
ocratic executive committee will hold a
meeting this week. Judge H. B. Aber-
nathy the chairman of the committee
stated last night that he had not received
a request yet for meeting of the COM
mittee.
The law requires that five members of
the city committee must attach their
names to the petition asking for the
chairman to call a meeting before he
has the authority to act. For the past
week a request has been circulated
among the eighteen members of the COM
mittee asking for a meeting of the COM
mittee for tomorrow night. So far only
four names nave been secured and until
the fifth Is secured the request will not
be sent to the chairman as 1t would be
useless.
Line3 Drawn.
It is said that the political lines have
already been Glossy drawn in the city
committee, and on a test vote. should
it be taken within the next few days the
committeeman would line up fourteen for
any given proposition and four against
it, or vice versa as the case might be.
The four members who signed the petit
ton asking for NEE. ling tomorrow night
were Max Karples, James F. Hawkins.
Harry Turner and G. B. Burkhalter.
When the committee gets together there
will be two vacancies to fill. b. B. Mar
tin a member of the committee from the
Eighth ward has moved to another ward
and will therefore retire from the COM
mittee. Charles ]. Herbert of the Fifth
ward is a candidate for alderman from
his ward and will therefore tender his
resignation as committeeman.
When the committee meets action will
be taken on the petition from four cam
didates for mayor who asks that the
committee adopt the majority rule at the
municipal primary instead of the plural
ity rule. George B. ward, John C. For
ney, John R. Copeland and NJ. H. Crit
tenden are the four candidates who are
asking for the majority rule. John w.
o Neill and Charles s. Simmons. the 9TH
er two candidates for mayor, have not so
far publicly expressed themselves on the
subject 1t is understood, however, that
they favor the plurality rule at the pri-
mary.
AT the recent caucus of the members of
the city committee, it is understood, and
in fact admitted. that the sentiment of q
majority of the members present was in
favor of the plurality rule. They give
as a precedent the action of the state
democratic executive committee, at its
meeting in Montgomery on March 8 of
this year, and also the precedent of the
county committee.
The Plurality.
In speaking of the action of the coun-
ty committee, member of the city COM
mittee who favors the plurality plan said
yesterday afternoon:
1T will be recalled that the state COM
mittee went on record as favoring the
plurality rule at the primary elections
held all over Alabama last April. At the
meeting of the state committee held in
Montgomery on March 9 the following
resolution was introduced by Mr.. Doug
las of Washington county:
Resolved, That all candidates to be
voted for by the entire state must re-
ceive a majority of the votes cast for the
office for which he is a candidate.
Resolved further, That In the event
no candidate receives a majority of all
the votes cast for the office for which he
is candidate, then there shall be pri-
mary held on May 16, 1904, In which said
last primary the two candidates receiv-
ing the largest number of votes in the
first primary shall be the candidates.
"B. f. Roden of Birmingham was then
quickly to his feet to declare the propo-
sition embodied in the resolution hoax.
He thought that we were having entirely
too many elections. Similar expressions
were heard all around, and a motion was
then made that the resolution be tabled
This was lost, however, but In lieu =
motion to adjourn was carried, thus leav-
ing the question unsettled and placing
the state executive committee on record
as being opposed to the majority rule at
the primary"
When the city committee meets inter-
esting times are expected. Heated argu-
ments for and against the majority rule
are anticipated. The candidates for office
are leaving no stones unturned to carry
their point before the committee.