Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-08-31
THE BEATIFIC PRIMARY.


Here are some excerpts and re-
Elections on the beauties Of the
nominating primary. Says the
Times-Dispatch:
by the conditions of primaries, every
man who votes in them is considered
bound to support the successful candi-
date. 1t would be an eye-catching
spectacle to see Mr.. Clark Howell in
the act of recording vote for Mr..
Hoke Smith,
Sliding from humor to seriousness,
Mr.. Howell is too good a man to
skulk. Besides. man of prominence
and ambition can better afford to
''eat crow" than to bolt. Further,
every true man should take his
"med'cine" not like q baby. Now
will some of the primary advocates
tell rs how to treat erstwhile Demo-
Gratis who enter Democratic pri-
mary and then vote for the Repub-
iIcan candidate, openly avowing their
act? A case-we may say cases
In point occurred here last year,
when, after entering the Democratic
gubernstorial primary, som evoted for
Judge Lewis, the Republican nomi-
nee.
But we are DEPRESSING from the
general view of the subject. The
Norfolk Virginian-Pi a primary
advocate, practically admits the
dsbarment of any but wealthy aspir-
ants. 1t says:
In Kentucky the assessments against
candidates have reached figure which
narrows the field of availability to the
rich; the fees for entry are six Thousand
dollars to offer for Governor, eight
thousand to make the race for United
States Senator, and for other Offices in
proportion At first the registrars and
judges were willing to act without
charge, or for nominal pay, and the peo-
pie OF the various localities volunteered
to relieve the Central Committee of
outlay. But eventually the idea grew
las 1T will everywhere that the would
be beneficiary should pay the piper, and
SO the obnoxious rule has been reached
OF mulcting each contestant in 25 per
cent. of the salary for four years of the
Office for which he offers. That the
outcome of such excessive requirements
VIII be disastrous to the interests of
the people is not debatable. If
1t obtains for any length of time public
preferment will become a matter of
purchase and the patent merits of the
primary system be prostituted to the
designs of those who seek power for the
purpose of abusing it."
1t cost both Smith and Howell .
hundred thousand dollars each, and
one OF the minor candidates $40. 900,
did this Georgia primary. Laying
aside the cost in the case, our friend
the Times-Dispatch deplores the
degradation into which Georgia
newspapers dragged the primary and
styles it apoliticsl .debauch. This is
deplorable, but only one of the msny
objections to the primary abomina-
tion. In closing, we quote snatches
from the T-D.:
1.-The longest and bitterest campaipn
ever known to Georgia politics was
brought to close yesterday. The
contest began fifteen months ago. and
has been increasingly waged from then
until now. The main fight was between
Clark Howell, editor of the Constitu-
ton, and Hoke Smith, former owner of
the Atlanta Journal. The Constitution
was the champion of Mr.. Howell's can
didacy and the Journal of Mr.. Smiths
candidacy, and these two newspapers
peiabored each other in manner well
calculated to disgust all lovers of clean
politics and decent newspapers. Each
mas made 1T appear that the safety of
the State depended upon the success Of
It's champion, and the contest was given
prominence far ahead of any other
topic at home or abroad, and far in
excess of its real Importance. The
foodgates of abuse were turned loosa
and there was nothing too vile for one
paper to say about the other or the
others candidate. If half that has
been said by the Constitution about
Hoke Smith or half that has been said
by. the Journal about Clark Howell be
true, neither Of them is fit to hold anv
Office of public trust. We are
glad that this disreputable contest has
at last expired byI limitation"