Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-06-09

PRIMARY Pr! \ QUESTION On
LEFT i !. WITH WI II V VOTERS /: 5
Committee Decides Not 10 Take
Action Upon Its Own
Initiative.
CANDIDATES STATE THEIR VIEWS
Messrs. Phillips and semmes Urge
That People Should be Given op
portunity to Choose, and Judge
earham Doesn't Object II All Par
ties Agrce--ouestion ON Ticket.

Having failed on tie vote to
adopt resolution offered by Mr.. W.
Lee Powell, providing for judgeship
primary on juno 20, the city Demo-
cratic committee last night decided
TO nave the question: do you desire
primary in which to select candi.
date for judge of the Corporation
Court to be held?" placed at the bot.
tom of the ticket in the Legislative
primary to be held on June ~ II a
majority of the voters give an ar
firmatiye answer to this question, the
new committee will order a primary.
The committee met last night at
the city hall, in special session, to
discuss and dispose of the judgeship
primary question: which has been agi-
tated to n considerable extent dur
IN the past ten days. Present were:
Messrs. w. Lee Powell. MCPHERSON
w. II. y. Holt, w. IL. Thomas, Per
kins. r. r.. Holt, Bowling, Morse
worthy. Alexander and DR.. j. Il. bag
by, the vice chairman, who presided.
Reasons Given.
Messrs. Louis C. Phillips and b. b.
Senmes, who are candidates for the
Corporation Court judgeship, were
given five minutes each by the COM
mittee to state their reasons for ask
ing that a primary be held. Both
spoke briefly, strongly urging that
The voters of the city be given an
opportunity to express a preference
in the judgeship contest.
They said that they did not ask
that anybody be bound by the results
OF the primary or that any attempts
be made to force any one mo the
election; that they simply wanted
the people to have a chance to say
which of the candidates whose names
might appear on the ticket they pre-
Ter Tn'ey submitted letters from
Messrs. Barrett Fellows, Ashby and
Holt, in which these candidates for
House and Senate agreed to abide by
the decision of properly conducted
primary.
When asked about the position of
Former Mayor A. A. Moss, they said
that Mr.. Moss had made no reply to
their letter.
Judge 5arham'a Position.
Judge L. j. Barham, who will offer
TO succeed himself was called upon
by the committee to give his views
on the subject OF the proposed pri.
mary. The judge said that he did
not come down to make speech
and had no occasion to change the
opinions which he had expressed in
his letter to Messrs. Semmes ana
Phillips and in his statement to a
newspaper man.
He went on to say that he had no
objection to entering a primary by
which all parties concerned would be
bound, but he did not want pig
in the poke" He concluded by saying
that he had no desire to hold his
Office If the people OF the city did not
want him.
Lost by Tie Vote.
Mr.. Powell offered resolution
providing that the names OF the can
didates for the judgeship DE put on
the ticket for the Legislative primary
and that the two candidates receiv-
ing the highest and next highest
number of votes be voted for in a
second primary to be held on July 2.
This resolution was lost:-"Ayes,
Powell, Mcpherson, w. FL X. Holt,
II. p. Holt and Norsworthy; Ayes"
Bagby,e Thomas, Perkins, Bowling
and Alexander.
MIR. Perkins spokevig orously against
this resolution before the vote was
taken. He contended that the action
would be premature, as the people
had not had time to properly consider
the judgeship proposition.
Mr.. Powell offered the resolution
providing for the question to be pIac-
ed on the ticket in the Legislative
primary. This resolution was adopted
without opposition and the committee
adjourned without further discussion.