The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1908-02-08

= ~~-N~~-"<@ &AS%&@ . -
eth day Of May. 1905; and that meet
ing OF the State Democratic Execa-
tive Committee be. and 1t is Hereby
called to assemble in the City Of Mont
May Is. 1908. at, which time all OF
said returns shall be canvassed and
the result OF said primary election
OF such delegates shall be declared,
and roll OF the delegates TO such
convention shall be made up by said
committee;
'Eighth--Be 1t further resolved that
at such meeting Of the Democratic
state Executive Committee a, temper
ary chairman and temporary secretary
and assistant SECRETARIES for the said
convention herein provided for shall be
selected.
mr.. Jeffries speaks.
Mr.. Jeffries took the floor in support
OF his plan. The nomination of state
officials by primaries had been the ac-
cepted rule in the Democratic party OF
+ Alabama, and no man wished to change
It. But the Nselection of party OFFICERS
and OF judicial officers is another mat
ter. The Democratic party stands for
q representative government and II
stands for representative rule in party
come in Alabama when no poor man
can afford TO make a race in primary
for State office. He gave IT as his
opinion that the race for delegate from
the State at large is likely to cost q
man $1,000. Delegates TO the National
Convention had heretofore been select
ed by conventions and he pointed out
the confusion that would ensue when
an attempt was made to nominate them
In A DrfYy1arv
There Is not lawyer here. who
will say down In his heart, that q
primary Is the wisest and best plan
OF selecting members of the Supreme
Court" said Mr.. Jeffries Our best
and ablest lawyers are those who have
kept TO their offices. who have read
from the books that which as made
them learned in their profession and
who have burned midnight oil In doing
so. They have not cultivated the
graces of the eampaigner and stump
speaker. They would gladly accept
place on the Supreme Court bench. but
they recoil from entering q scramble
in a primary for It. Such q man IL
Judge Walker of Huntsville, an able
1urist but who will not fill place
on the Supreme bench because he re-
coils from going into every nook and
corner of the State to make the race.
Your own Judge Sayre here would be
an ornament to the bench, but he Is
a poor man. and not able to make the
race in a primary.
Mr.. Jeffries asked what Justice Is
there in a system Of primary victims
that one man gets $4,000 or 10000
more votes because his name began
with "a" or q "B" than the man
whose name begins with q wv"
Mr.. Bouldin said that perhaps he
was pre5udiced in favor OF a primary,
but he would endeavor to discuss the
question fairly. In this county the
people had been torn with dissension,
but the primary had farmonized them.
Nothing, Mr.. Chairman. breeds Demo-
Gratis like a primary" declared MIR.
Bouldin. The argument of Mr.. JET
fries, he said was the the old argument
that he people could not be trusted to
select their own officers.
Every Mans Right.
'fThe right OF every man to an equal
vote in all public affairs has become
the slogan Of Democracy" said Mr.
Bouldin.
The COMMITTEES stood unanimously in
favor of Mr.. Bryan. he said. and If Mr.,
for the iniative and referendum.
There Is no greater iniative. he said,
than q primary.
A good world for convention taken
| in moderation was, spoken by Mr. De
Graffenrefd, of Hale. He submitted
that the delegates selected to go to
Denver were not nominees to any Of
flee. They were simply delegated to
exert part Of the party authority. IL
was no, violation OF a party rule to
select them in q convention.
He pointed out that If q primary
is held every man nominated will be
| a man who seeks the office and who
spent money to get 1t. If convention
is held the party leaders can call upon
their best men.
81 for one have grown weary of the
insignificant position accorded the
South In national affairs" said Mr.
De Graffenried. 1.-THE time has come
for us to invite and encourage our
strongest and best men to come for
ward and take part in our public af-
fairs. We are not after self seekers "
He reminded his hearers that it has
been the custom time after time for
the party to send that splendid DEM
oerat, Edmund W. Pettus. to the ma
tionaI conventions. II General Pettus
were living now, Mr.. de Graffenreid de-
clared. he would refuse to enter a
scramble for one of the places as dele
gates.
The Alabama Supreme Court, he said,
had been honored throughout the
United States by Brickell. Stone a
Manning. These men were the product
Of convention. In conventions they
had first received their nominal lions.
r. 7. Erwin of Mobile, heartily
agreed with Mr.. De Graffenreid. He
was convinced from his own expert
ence that the average voter Meth Ter
knew or cared anything about electing
members of the Supreme Court. He
served in a box as inspector in Mobile
County where about forty votes were
cast in the last primary. Out of this
number. he said. something like thirty
I'VE told him to make out their tickets
for whoever he pleased for Justices of
the Supreme Court. He felt sure that
there were others present who had his
experience.
Mr.. walker, OF Limestone, favored
convention for the selection of judges
He was free to say that he did not
think the people competent to pass
upon the qualifications of Justices OF
the Supreme Court. He was in favor
of & convention for the nomination OF
Justices to avoid a condition similar to
that In Arkansas. and which almost
existed in Alabama where candidates
for the Supreme Court were adyertis.
ing like patent medicine people.
A convention is like q camp meet.