Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-09-01
HOW THEY VIEW THE PRIMARY

The following are after-election
comments from papers that were ad-
vocates of the primary. That senti-
ment is largely in favor of abolishlng
the plan is becoming daily more
evident.
But while the principle of nomi.
nation by primary election is cor.
rect, as an original advocate of the
system we are forced to confess that
we are not favorably impressed with
its practical operation as demon
strated in the recent experiment. In
the first place, the conditions of can
didacy under it are 80 oDerOusly ex.
pensive as to prescribe all but very
wealthy men from becoming candi-
didates for nomination. Such ex-
clusion is contrary to the very spirit
OF Democracy, and unless it is RENE
died will eventually rupture and de-
stroy the Democratic party.-Peters-
burg Index-Appeal.
A FEATURE OF THE PRIMARY.
(Staunton Spectator.)
The primary election is over and
the possibilities of fraud as we'll as
the actual fraud itself have been
made apparent. Men we've allowed
to vote who had no particle of right
to vote, and others deprived from
voting who had a perfect right to
vote. Had the test of supporting the
Democratic ticket in 1896 and 1900
been applied at all there would have
been thousands in the State who
would never have cast ballot Tues
day. Even Senator Martin himself
would have been doubtful voter,
because he only supported the ticket
in those years half heartedly, indeed
it was, if anything worse than that.
he would support the ticket with
his lips at times, whilst forever his
heart was far from it.
KILL THE PRIMARY.
Fredericksburg Free Lance.)
That the Democratic primary is
over and the people generally
throughout the State can return to
their usual avocatiuns is matter for
Thanksgiving. The result of the con-
test is no doubt Identical with the
result had any other method been
followed than the primary plan of
selecting candidates In either event
the will of the majority of the party
would have been registered. For no
man doubts that Senator Martin
would have been the choice of con-
vention or of the Legislature without
the Intervention of convention, and
no man now doubts that Mr.. Swanson
would have controlled a nominating
convention in the Gubernatorial con-
test. That being true, all advantages
claimed for the primary seem to have
vanished into thin air. On all sides
we hear condemnation on the part of
Democrats for the primary method.
Many Democrats assert that they
will never vote in a primary election
again and many declined to partici-
pate in the primary just closed. A
bitter campaign has been waged for
live months, which has left its scars,
and this is the condition on the eve
of a general election, in contradis-
tinction to the usual enthusiasm
which goes out all over the State
from convention where Democrats
meet together and smooth over their
differences in jllly good time. We
have favored fair trial of the pri-
mary plan. No man can deny that
it has been given a fair trial, and
now, speaking for this section of the
State, We do not hesitate to say that
it is the duty of the party to kill the
primary or the primary will kill the
party. 1t will be a iusti6able and
excusable killing in self-defence.
There are many objections to the old
methods of choosing delegates to a
State convention, and there should
be some uniform, fair and orderly
method adopted for the election of
these, some middle ground between
the present primary plan and the old
mass-meeting; but the old courthouse
conventions will have to be returned
to if the power and prestige of the
party in Virginia is to be main tanned.