The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-26
next STATE
COV.vI'E|::.,N|''T'l0N
Committee Will Fix Date for 1t
1T Meets to Consider
Norfolk City Contest.
ATTENDANCE Il KELLY
May Request Two Days to Act
on Subcommittee Report s.
N on Norfolk Case.

The subcommittee Of the State Demo-
cratic Committee, which was engaged all
last week at Norfolk taking testimony
in the contest growing out Of the primary
for the election Of a City Democratic
Committee. has adjourned until next
week, when the evidence Of the con!
tcstecs Will be taken. 1t Is presumed
that this. will require several days, and q
few days moro will be consumed In pre-
pairing the report to the full committee.
1t Will, therefore, be about the 10th Or
18th Of February before tho State Gem
trail Committee will DO called to receive
and act on the report Of the committee
in tho Norfolk matter.
& State Chairman Ellyson stated yester-
day that when the committee Is called
together for this purpose It will also
fix tho date and place. Of the next State
convention and the basis Of apportion-
gmcnt or representation therein. These
two things will suffice to bring about ono
of the largest gatherings Of tho commit
teemen ever lleld, especially since proxies
have been barred from participation in
the COMMITTEES deliberations and decsluil.
WILL REQUIRE TIME.
The subcommittee In the Norfolk mat
ter will merely mako a report enibody-
Ing the testimony taken In Norfolk In tho
contested election Of q City Committee.
1T will make no recon ton. The
record I'M the case will be necessarily
vouminous. So far as known this1wil1
not be printed and sent to members III
advance Of the meeting, there being no
funds ava liable for such an expensive
procedure. IT he report of the COMMITTEES
embodylng the record, will be made to
the full 81 committee lin the form Of =
typewrittenS document. The committee
cannot act on the case ntelligentlys with
out reading the record, and 1t 10 likely
that the report az the committee will be
read aloud. here many witnesses depose
Ito substantially theSsarne thing n It will
not be necessary to go into the read
Ing Of all this useless verbiage. In any
event$it will require fuuy a day, II NOT
two days to conside and act Intelligent
~ upon the report. unless the three nlem-
bers Of the subcommittee are practical
" agreed as to what should be done IT,
that event resolution might BIO offered
annulling the primary In October ana
removing the committee created thereby.
and ordering q new primary. {S3
elThe TREND Of the testimony all indi-
Gates that the committee will have to
order q new primary, though the coptesf
tees may o fer some ST rong testimonyain
rebuttal that may PIT q. ne " aspect upon
efsltua ton, bat that Is sunlikelV 3s 5si IN
nominated ana ~ ted over
Alr. Nv: Old Jr;.,i jn,:t at primary
has given out%a statenne51t sdecla ring that
III It be sh2wni tina There tsi;iApy cues
ton as to-. the regularity OF nominal ion
he will Erasign his seat in the House and
go before the people Of Norfolk for yin y
5i3 STATE CONVENTION. 5s
| 3r Tho committee wflSat the sanetmeet-
Ing fix the date and ssplace Of the next
Democratic State convention, to choose
delegates and alternates to the national
convention at St. Louis. July 9Th, and
to name electors by districts and at large
to canvass for the Democratic nomt-
nees.
This state is entitled to twenty-four dele
gates to the national convention, or twice
the number OF senators and representa-
lives in Congress. There will be four dele
gates at large. and these are esteemed
among the high party hon rs. -Four years
ago, Senators Martin and Daniel and
Governor Tyler and Representative VIII
liam a. Jones. were the delegates at
large. Mr.. y. Taylor Ellysop would prob
ably have been delegat to had be been
able to attend. Tho four generally mem
toned as delegates att large this year
are, Senators Daniel and Martin, Goyor-
NOR Montague and Mr., Ellyson, OF
course, Others may be chosen as tho
matter is me left entirely to the dlscre-
ton Of the convention r that chooses
them. The four delegates at large Will
probably be chosen from among the rep
resentatiTes and ex-Governors or men
prominent In politics, other than those
named for delegates. X {. s.i Z
Each district will send two OF its favor
lite sons to represent It in the great
gathering OF Democrats In st. Louis. July
9Th. So far no suggestions have baen
+ heard as to these positions. and they
will proba bly, be left to the recomm endn.
tion OF the congressional district delc-
cations. II &S 5 H
NJ It Is possible. though hardly probable
that the convention will undertake to
amend or repeal the party plan OF pri-
mary as It now exists. There Is less
talk OF such changes or Of repeal now
than a year ago. ~ 56
Il MAY GO TO NORFOLK.
Il TIE State convention viii probably be
q large one, as all those for the past
five OF six years have been. AS Norfolk
Is the city best equipped to handle a
large crowd. 1t viii probably be the seat
Of the convention unless Richmond de-
sires 1t sufficiently to make al bid for It..
With the new Richmond Hoth. the Jef-
ferson. Murphys, the Powhatan. the
Lexington and various smaller hcstelries
al, open, Richmond would be prepared to
handle the 1850 visitors who would prob
ably be In attendance. The basis OF an,
! ppnionment Of representation will proba-
( bly, be one delegate for every ono hun-
dred votes Gust IN IN the lagl presidential
excess of fifty votes. This would make
a convention OF about 1900 delegates.
Since that election the electorate has
been greatly reduced, and future COLI
ventions will be considerably smaller, Tile
fact is that with the party primary plan