The Gainesville star. [volume] (Gainesville, Fla.) 1903-19??, 1904-01-15

True Democracy Against Pitfalls,
The question OF holding the Dem.
ocratic primary for the nomination OF
officers is a very important one, 1t
is being discussed all over the State,
both by individuals and newspapers
Mr.. j. NJ. Bars, who wrote the Dem
ocratic platform establishing the pri.
maries, writes the following letter on
the subjects
Editor of The Metropolis:
There has been great deal said
on the subject of early" and late"
primaries, which shows that the wri.
ters either did not understand the
subject or else were DESTROYS OF pro
ducing discussions where there is no
need OF dlssension. have not heard
of any one advocating a primary ear.
lier than April. and primary held
In April would not be an early pri
mary; that Is, II would not be much
earlier than Is absolutely necessary.
The primaries for electing delegates
TO County Conventions in this State
have usually been held in April or
May any year when delegates to the
National Convention were TO be elect.
ed: and the adoption OF the primary
system requiring majority vote, and
therefore requiring a second primary
In many instances, makes II necessary
TO hold the hrst primary early enough
that the second primary may be held
In time to elect delegates to the Ma.
tiona! Convention. Unless II Is intend
ed to have State Convention held
TO elect delegates TO the National Con.
vendon, 1t is absolutely necessary that
the first primary shall be in April, or,
at the latest. In the early part OF
May; and the people of this State are
in no humor to permit the corporation
element in the party (which has so
persistently opposed the primary sys.
tenn in the past, and which Is now
80 loudly proelaiming It's opposition
10 what they call an early primary,
10 have a State Convention before the
primary for nomination OF officers.
OPPOSITION OF CORPORATION
PRESS.
OF all the newspapers which have
been loudest in their denunciation OF
those who have sought to begin al
ready the work OF informing the peo
pie as to the candidates to be voted
for in the next primary, The Times
Union and Citizen and the st. Angus
tine Evening Record, both OF which
are absolutely owned by Republi.
can. who is as good a Republican as
Mark Hanna, have been the ioudest;
and those other newspapers In the
State which always echo the senti.
ments OF those two newspapers have
Joined In the cry against the cam.
paign which has been started. II will
be noticed that these are the same
newspapers, almost without excep.
ton. which are now bowling for the
holding OF q convention 70 elect the
delegates TO the National Convention,
or to decide how United States Sena.
tors are 10 be nominated in primaries,
or for any other reason that can be
thought OF to give them a convention,
and are denouncing those who desire
q primary 10 be held In time 10 elect
delegates to the National Convention
DANGER OF A CONVENTION.
II should be borne In mind that when
. convention Is once called-no mat
Ter for what purpose-and gets into
session, that convention then repre-
sents, theoretically at least, the entire
Democratic party, and can, II they
desire. no matter 70. what purpose
called, nominate every candidate to
be voted for at the ensuing election,
indorse a candidate for the United
States Senate. abolish the primary
system In the State. and select a new
State Committee. In other words, the
corporation element In THIS State.
backed by those newspapers owned by
q Republican trust magnate, are sim.
ply hoEhng against the calling Of a
primary election early enough to elect
delegates to the National Convention
to create a false impression in the
minds Of the people. and arouse dis.
sensions which will enable them, they
hope, TO secure the calling OF a State
Convention, ostensibly for the pur-
pose OF electing delegates to the Ma,
tional Convention. They hope then,
by representing that the Convention
is to do nothing but elect delegated
to the National coufention (iB which