The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-02
THE COMMITTEES PLAN.
Another Able Letter From Hon. c, c.
 whitson.

it's reply to my statement The News evades the real issue. It's sweeping charge against the Com mittee, of lily disguised hypocrisy in calling a judical convention. fe- qsires a reply, in Justice to the Com Tljttea. Were I alone concerned l would pay no further attention to 'ts' criticisms This communication close
 the discussion for my part, without
 regard to whatever false rumors, or
 false imputations of improper motives that may hereafter be pnoiished.
 !, Neither Messrs. Stevens. Parker, I Stanford. Eyster nor myself can be l aYairiy c!assed as railroad lawyer '' lace arding to recent editorial in The 1 News, in which 1t declared that Jr Knox could not be SO considered. and | gave reasons for that conclusion lsIl i which fully concnrred), and which apply with edual for;e to all of the above mentioned mmebers of the Com I mittee.
 It makes no difference hcw, or b- whom the primary plan adopted was 1 conceived The meat ot the whole matter, and the real question is: LOGS | 1t take any power from the people. or benefit any class or candidate. to the detriment of any other class or car didate? Does t prevent in any WE / the Democratic voters from nominat' Ing to once, and by pare, piuralitS vote. Advocates of railroe6 rate reg ulation and raformw Does 1t give to railroads any power or means to
 thwart tho will of the people aS ex- pressed in a fair primary? Any far
 minded man is bound. to admit that Il does not. And I challenge the Editor of The News, with all Of his great powers of logic and sophistry, tc show wh erein the Committees plan does ar , of these things. It does bar secret aspirants from election or appointment, to the United States senate. and pre-
 vents political trades In the Legis-
 Iature in the election or senators. The
 way Is open, however. and the field ts
 clear for any Democrat to be elected ito the Senate through instructions to
 members of the legislature, by the
 vote of the people, and upon the samc
 basis of representation as would have obtained had no such primary been o. dered.
 The editor of The News states, that there has never been any ialiusior,
 in any conversation between hirn and MT. Conner as to whom Mr. Comar
 woNld appoint United States Senator.
 should he have the power. But hs makes g singular commission in
 failing to deny that ne had hopes
 ment which the Committees action h4s
 'nipped in the bud.' The temper dis played in the reply of The News would. in itself, seem to be "a confession" of some disappointment. Ncr does hs deny the soft impeachment" of havr ing had senatorial ambition, and as ae is one of the most "strenuous : advocates of railroad rate regulation and reform" in the State, and assumes to speak as an oracle TOT the people. i 1 see no reason why he should nut come out In the open, and become q candidate for election 70 that great office. Why should he not undertak , to defeat one of our distinguished d st aators before the people of Ala hama? The State Committee has given him a magnificent opportunity.
 When confronted with the primary election law which debars the Sta te Committee from calling County, state Senatorial or Congressional primaries, The News. appeals tu the Gods to thst all such primaries be held oL August 27. The News ought to know" that the State Committas where II is withcu ut authority to rs- ouire. has never recommended" d course of action to suDordinate com mittees To do so might result in such recommendation being repudlateJ and in injury to the party organization l The assertion that If there had not been an executive committee to be named no convention would ever have been ealled." 4s absurd and displays | ignorance of Democrati? customs and
 usage. The News ought to know ! that the delegates from each congress sional district elect their own meni- bers of the State Committee. and the convention merely ratiHes their ehoIse and elects four members from the | State at large The fact that 1t was nor deemed right for men caIisd upon
 to serve the party iu ths capacity. to be put co the expense of attending primary and that the people wers believed to have sensu enough ko elees
 delegates competent to select Stat , Committee was the sole reason for providing for their e.ection by such delegates.
 The News dramatically declares, that 1 "a partial return to the Convention sys,
 tenn Is very odiouS to the Democratic
 rank and file" and that I "lsnow. or | ought to know' 1t. I deny this assur1n- tlon, and the almost universal approv- ] al or the Committees action disproves 1 it. ] do know and believe that every | member who voted for the plan, had 1 no other object. purpose or desire. than
 to conserve the best interest of the par- | ", to put Into practical effect so far ! as possible, its national platform aa to
 the election of United States Senators 1 by the people. to provide primary i plan that would be satisfactory to the great majority of the Demooratic vo- ! ters. and that would al the same time | De just and fair to all candidates Sem ! tors Pettus and Morgan included. As i to whether or not this has been ao- complished, Is for the public to deter | mine and we are content to abide by , their deeisIon.
 ] The News quotes garbied extrac.s from what [ said in submitting the | subcommittee report. as to the req sons for calling a cOnveHtion to nomI- nate judges of the Supreme Court and charEes me with a singular omission' in failing to reiterate them.
 have always favored nominating the Supreme Court judges in eonven- ton In which no other candidates should be nominated, and at It's last meeting a large majority of the Com- mittee were of the same opinion. The plurality plan eliminated any question of more than one convention. What I really said as to nominating such judges, as shown by the official stenog- raphie report of the proceedings, Is as follows:
 ''We have sought 10 nominate no of fcial no nominee of the Democratic party in a convention save the justices of the Supreme Court, and ! do not believe. MT. Chairman, that there Is a man Withln the sound of my veies who recognizes the importance es a pure