The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-14
 NO CHNGE
 IN SECOND Congressional Primary
 on March l9. THE PETITION IS DISMISSED MT. Long Appears Before the State
 Committee. Chief Democratic Body Refuses to Reverse the District Committee on Complaint of Butler County Democrats.

| Butler county, led by Hon. J. Lee Long, of Greenville, the primary election 10 nominate q Democratic candidate for Congress in the Second District will be held on March 18th, as provided by the | District Committee. Unless an order l from a court secured restraining the from a court is secured restraining the primaryq.
 The State Democratic Executive Com mittee in session in Montgomery yesterday, by an overwhelming vote dismissed the petition of ,Mr. Long and his associates of Butler county to set aside the action of the District Com mittee. This decision was reached after debate running through nearly two hours and after MT. Long had been accorded the privilege of the. floor to explain the con- tentions of the petitioners. Counsel for neither side of the controversy ap- peared and MT. Long, who explained that he was not a lawyer but a mere business man, contented himself by setting forth the grievances of his as- sociates and himself which were sup ported by afidavits read by him. The District Committee made no de- fense of its action unless letter from Congressman A. A. Wiley, who is in Washington to his friend Gen. W. 0. Oates. which was read to the Com
  this letter the Second District Con- gressman revised the action of the District Committee and characterized the petition of Mir. Long and his as- sociates as silly" Chairman Tender son of the District Committee was not at the meeting.
 Conaentfon of Petitioners. "f
 It was claimed by the Butler county Democrats that but four regular mem bers of the District Committee, of which W. A. Henderson, of Montgom- cry, is Chairman, attended the two meetings at which the primary elec- tion was ordered and arrangements made for 1t and that these four reg ular committeeman, a minority, passed upon five proxies. It was further charged that legal notice of the pri- mary was not given to Butler county and that list of the managers of the election had been prepared and printed before the committee met to select the managers.
 MT. Long, in his remarks before the State Committee, took quick exception to an insinuation that the petitioners were laboring in the interest of Hon Thomas J Hall, of Montgomery, who desires to run against Congressman A. A. Wiley, and under fire of ques- tions by Committeeman Jones Moore of Birmingham, MT. Long admitted that if the petitioners were successful in overthrowing the work of the Dis trict Committee, they would present a candidate for Congress whose name has not been mentioned.
 In the Council Chamber, where the sessions of the Committee were held, 1t was currently gossiped that the candidate whose banner the petitioners would raise if they had the opportu- Stallings or Hon. Dempsey M. Powell, of Greenville.
 Committeeman In Debate.
 Hon. Carson c. Whitson of Tallade- ga and Thomas M. Stevens of Mobile, members of the State Committee. made earnest argument in support of Mi. Long and his associates. Each of these committeeman declared that the action of a minority of the District Commit tee in accepting proxies of a majori- ty of the organization was not to be condoned Messrs. Whitson and Ste vens were opposed by Judge A. B. Smith of Greene. R. H. Thach of Jeff ferson. Judge Al Driver of Chambers and Tipton Mullins of Chiffon. On motion of MT. Thach the petition of the Butler county Democrats was dis missed by an overwhelming vote
 Soon after the State Committee dis missed the petition MT. Long declared that his associates and himself would seek relief in the courts and endeavor to restrain the District Committee from holding primary 'on March 18th. Later in the evening Mir Long said that action in the courts would not be definitely decided upon until he had conferred with his counsel.
 MT. MalIOry's Announcement.
 The Second District protest came up in the early minutes of the meeting.
 Chairman Mallory announced in stating the purposes of the meeting that he had received a protest from Hon. Lee Long of Greenville. citi- zen of the Second District. ohjectlng to the action of the Congressional Committee of that District. He had also received a communication on the same matter from Colonel A. A. Wiley The protest of MT Long was pub ! lished in full in The Advertiser Sum | dav It was both a protest and an appeal from the action of the Second | District Congressional Committee. He l declared that there was not a quorum | of the members of the committee pres | ent when the party business of the | district was transacted He declared | fnrther that the legal notice required
 ,,nder the primary law of Alabama had
 not been given and could not be given
 in the haste with which the commit | tee acted.
 ,,1nication from Colonel Wiley had
 Keen handed him by General w. c. l oates and if he deemed it proper it
 sbonId be read to the committee. Gen
 eral oates who was present said he had acted at the request of Colonel | Wiley and he saw no reason why 1t
 should not be read.
 l Colonel Wiley's Letter.
 In full the communication was as | follows:
 Washington, D. C.. March II. 1906.
 Hon. ". c. oates.
 Montgomery, Ala.
 "I am advised by friends that Mir. Lee Long of Greenville. and others are