Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-10-07
"AN UNUSUAL AND STRANGE
 SPECTACLE

Jefferson county, and the opposition thereto by the Pine Bluff Conner cial and Press-Eagle, Sundays Ar kansas Gazette says:
 Under existing state laws it is op- tional with county committees to have legalized primary elections or not Before the legislature of 1895 passed an act legalizing primaries when desired, the primary election plan was not general in Arkansas. That legislative act was responsive to public demand. Some abuses had been complained of where the plan had been tried and there was quite & general desire, besides, to abandon the old precinct mass meeting or township and ward convention sys- tenn. The primary election was hail. ed as an improved method of ascer- taining the will of political party, in contradistinction to the convention plan with it's inevitable ward or township boss. The intention of the lawmakers in 1895 was to facilitate and protect a full and free express sion. Nearly every county has avail ed itself of the law adopted then, and the legalized primary came as an ex- pected boon. An unusual and strange spectacle, therefore, is that presented in Jefferson county, where some prominent Democrats are urging that the party seek outside the law in this case that which the law intended to bring about, namely, purity ill poll. tics. There are no signs that the conditions complained of in that county, which are responsible for the new movement, are general through out the state. At least there have been few prosecutions for violation of the law in legalized primaries. In many counties in the so-called black belt Democratic county committees, in prescribing rules, have prohibited the voting of negroes in Democratic primaries, but this is a provision scarcely needed.
 Undoubtedly the powerful deter rent of fraud in elections is public sentiment and it is well to see repre- sentative newspapers standing for honesty in all respects pertaining to the ballot. Arkansas is Democratic to the core. In 73 out of D counties in the state a Democratic nomination is equivalent to election. If, in any county, there be resort to dishonesty in asecrtaining the will of the major ity the orderly, peaceable, honest great majority of the Democracy will be heard from in no uncertain tones and the person or persons found gull ty of improper practices will be rele- gated to the rear, if not otherwise punished"
 From the foregoing from our Little Rock contemporary our readers can gain some conception of the idea that is created in other minds of our citi- zens and our civilization and the po- litical morals of the Democracy of Jefferson county by such articles as have emanated recently from the Pine Bluff Commercial and Press Eagle in assaults upon the laws and statutes of the State And when it is remembered that Jefferson county has never held legalized primary cleo. tiOn and that the charges that are laid at it's door were committed in unlegalized primaries (such as is advocated by certain political gentry and pretended election reformers for the next county primary, then the unreasonableness and the unjustifi- ableness of the assaults made upon our laws are the more apparent and indefensible
 It is true, as the Gazette says, that nearly every county in the State that has availed itself of the legalized election law. has found the legalized primary distinct boon Indeed and in truth, as our Little Rock con- temporary remarks, "An unusual and strange spectacle, therefore. is that presented in Jefferson county where some prominent Democrats are urg- ing that the party seek outside the law in this case that which the law intended to bring about. namely. puri. ty in politics." It is, perhaps, after all, THE LAW that certain "promi- nent Democrats" (whose record for ballot box stuffing and false counting in the past is not above suspicion), wish to escape. Under a legalized election law, only qualified electors can vote; there can be no repeating,