The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-07
INTEREST CENTERS
 ON CAPITOL TODAY
Many Members of Committee Pass Through Birmingham
GOSSIP ABOUT RESULT
Committeeman Were Unwilling To Say Whether They Preferred Pri- mary or Convention For
 Naming Delegates.

To attend the meeting of the state dem- ocratic executive committee, to be held in Montgomery today at noon, great majority of the members of that body passed through Birmingham yesterday or spent the night here last night.
 The meeting is called for the purpose of setting a date for the nomination of two justices to the supreme court bench and president of the Alabama railroad commission and to decide on the manner of electing a delegation to the national democratic convention to be held in Den yer.
 There is a great deal of interest cen tered in this meeting The chief interest. however, judging from the remarks and discussions in Birmingham yesterday concerns the manner in which the na- tiona1 delegation will be selected. Word has been passed down the line that these delegates will be elected in a primary, and that Governor B. B. Conner has given his. sanction in spite of his preference for a convention. However, as there is con- siderable opposition to this plan, this op-
  of the prospective candidates who dread the expense attached to primaries. it is not improbable that there will be a warm fight on the floor today concerning this issue.
 A noticeable feature yesterday was that members of the committee did not desire to express themselves as to whether or not they had preference as to the man. ner of electing the national delegates, or, in case they did. what that preference was. Each man claimed ignorance of the situation, and preferred awaiting his ar rival in Montgomery, and his observation of "the land" before committing himself.
 Few Departed Yesterday.
 Yesterday morning, on a delayed Louis vile and Nashville train, w. D. Nesbitt, a member of the committed from the state at large, left for Montgomery, and with him was John W. Tomlnson, president, and J. Asa Rountree, secretary, of the Bryan club of Alabama. In the afternoon a dozen members of the committee from various counties near Jefferson, left for Montgomery, ana with them went several prominent Birming- ham and North Alabama citizens, not members of the corm:ttee.
 This morning there will be another ds- parture of members of the committee, and it is expected that this mornings train will bear to the Capital City a number of other prominent citizens F. K. Camp bell, a member of the committee will leave this morning. R. A. Thompson, another member of Birmingham, stated last night that he would be unable to at tend, and. incidentally, entered a positive denial that "he had already departed. Mr. Campbell, asked last night whether he thought the delegates should be elect ed by primaries or in convention, accord- ing to precedent, stated that he had given the matter very little thought, and that he preferred to make no statement. He commented on the expense that a primary would entail, and intimated that he thought better of the convention, but left the impression that his mind was not as yet fully made up.
 Drennen May Yet Be Candidate. W. M. Drennen, who left for Montgom- ny yesterday afternoon and who has been onsidered a probable candidate from this strct as one of the two delegates to le national convention, stated unequiyo- fly that if the primary plan was adopt he would not be a candidate. He gued that the primary plan would result
 too great an expense on the candi- l es and would necessitate the con- 1ption of much time in the matter of - king the campaign.
 nong the members of the committee
 were in Birmingham yesterday, other ral the local members, were; M. T. C ond of Tuscaloosa, J. C.. Miner of ma, J. B. Brown of Cullman, J. L.
 ing of Asheville, R. A. Mitchell of a una City, J. H. Pride of Huntsville,
 Mitchell of Florence, w. R. Walker e hens, M. c. Allgood of Oneonta,
 Nunnelee of Centreville, c. N. Rob
 of Moulton, H. H. White of Centre
 Lackey of Dadevllle, Ed Whatley W land, J. B. Goodwin of Anniston,
 Oden of Talladega, F. A. Turner
 os is Amos Horton of Pleasant Ridge
 CTS.
 the prominent men, not members
 committee, who passed through
 ,ham yesterday was John A. Lusk
 tersville, the well-known admin leader in the state senate,
 candidate for Congress and now
 unced candidate for the supreme
 nch.
 smbership of Committee.
 moership of the state executive fol1ows:
 Mallory, Selma, Dallas county, -f#
 1 Large-W. A. Carter, Thomas "a Graves, Montgomery; J. E. a ula; T. U Crumpton, Naples
 J. Driver, Lafayette; w. C. per; T. R. Williams, Russell il l Bouldin, Scottsboro w. D.