The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-23
WANTS CONVENTION
mR nt.ocH URGES A RETURN TO
 0r,D CUSTOM. t.
n. peciare. that the Situation in the second District at This Time Demands . Conven-
 fl0n.

Hon Sol D. Bloch of Camden nas written an open letter urging that convention of the Democrats or .ns Second District be held to select Ine successor of Col A. A. Wiey: n makes this suggestion because he pe- Iieves 1t his duty to urge 1t upon the people of the district.
 Mir. Bloch Is one of the most prom. nent Democrats of the southern enu of the district He has served several terms in the Alabama House
 Mir Bloch writes:
 Camden, June 22. 1908.
 As 1t has become necessary to nom mate Democratic candidate TOT Svn gress, to succeed our deceased popular, capable and obliging Representative, CoI. A. A. wiley. 1t seems to me that 1t would be best ih making this nomi- nation that 1t should be done oy 2 straighout Democratic convention, ana I feel that 1t Is not improper, witn your permission. and through your coi- umns, to submit to the voters of the district, my reasons for so young. Wheh the committee meets.
 Tn 1890, when the then new, and present, Second Congressional District was formed, of which Wilcox County was to be a part Colonel Wiley, In the Senate from Montgomery County, and myself in that body from Wilcox coun- ty, with others. favored the plan. ana in the years that have rolled around since that time. as rule. the people of the district are as yet unacquainted. The district is composed of nine coun- ties, reaching from the middle of the State to the extreme Southern limits of Alabama. The expense of canvassing the whole territory, in a manner that would be at all satisfactory to can didate. would be so great as to become prohibitive. except to wealthy men. Al the recent primary, there were cast TOT candidates for Congress. in this dis triet, 13.31S votes, and the expense of getting in contact with this large num- Der is ample reason why the commit tee should not order a primary to nom- mate.
 If the committee should order a pri- mary, the situation is such that double primary is called for and not single primary, for it is Democratic all | the time. that the majority should rule. | It now seems certain there will be | half dozen candidates, with more in reserve and ready to announce; and the probability of a weak man winning in a single primary is too great for 1t l to be wise for the committee to order a single. primary. As a rule. when the plurality vote governs. it means that the strongest and most capable men. l are not alWaye uOHkIHdIGUs I have consistently supported the double primary plan for nomination of county ofices; and in State and district I nominations this rule should prevail If we are to have a primary at all; but | in my humble judgment. s better plan l Is to nominate the candidate for Con- | gress in convention in this instance. ! Some object to the convention be- cause of trading common to this plan, but from my observation of the pri- | mary plan, 1t is not any worse in one | way than in the other. Besides the l stated reasons. the meeting of our l people in convention certainly makes I for a stronger party spirit. It brings | our Democracy together face to face; l the people become acquainted and know | each other, resulting in lifetime friendships. and when I suggest a dis triet convention to nominate candi- date to succeed the late Colonel Wiley in Congress, I feellthat am discharg- ing a duty to my party's welfare, ir | advocating a convention in this in stance. Respectfully,
 S. D. Bloch. l Gen. W. C. Oates has also written a letter urging a convention.