Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-03-29
NO FIGHT TO Be MADE
AGAINST THE PRIMARY
VR9InIa's Senators and RsprsssR.
tal|vas Said 10 be Satisfied win
Present Arrangements.
MARTIN NOT OPENLY AGAINST II
Present Preliminary Election Arrange.
ment Suits the Old Dominion Con.
oresamcn But Their Interest Would
Cause Them to Dcplorc a Law Re
lievins Candidates of the Expense.
tDy Associated press)


WASHINGTON. ID. c.. March 2S.-.
The statement made In the Richmond
papers to the effect that there will
he an effort to knock out the primary
In Virginia at the Roanoke convention
appears to he without warrant. so far
as can re learned from members of
the Virginia delegation in Congress.
Tho fact of the matter is that while
some of them are not ovcrzealously
In favor of primaries, most OF them
admit that the men who would make
a fight on the primary nj this juncturc
would place his political future IN
Jeopardy.
Senator Martin has often been nc
credited with being against the mi.
mary. II is pretty commonly believed
that ii was framed for the purposc OF
unhorsing him from the leadership of
the Virginia Democracy. and this may
account for the belief that he was op-
posed to II.
But at the time the matter was In
the balance he came out in an uneqni-
vocal statement in which he said that
he was for the primary and wanted
II to have Il full ana fair trial before
tho people, saying that he was per.
iectiy willing to submit his case di-
rect TO them. He dill submit To II.
and the result was that he was tri-
Iumphantly renominated. He believes
today that he is ms strong lpforo tho
people rs he would he In legislature.
ana consequently has nothing to fear
from the continuation of the primary
system Of selecting Senators.
AS Tor Senator Daniel. everybody
who knows much about Virginia poll
Tics, knows that his strength Is be-
lore the people themselves. and that
the Lame Lion Of Lynchburg" il n
name to conjnre them with.
Representatives Are Satisfied.
AS Tor the members of the House
the present arrangement suits them
very well. When man gets into
congress and pays proper attention 10
his constituents and the little matters
OF routine which he can attend TO for
them. no matter If he does not set
the Legislative Potomac on fire. he Is
pretty apt TO hold his own against the
out fellow who wants to get in"
The Virginia members realize this.
and so far as 1t can be learned there
Is not one of them who would raise
his hand against the primary so far
as their own positions were concerned
AS matter of fact II was stated
long ago by some OF those who were
supposed 10 have been against the
primary when II was adoptcd. that
II has only served to make their tenur,.
lcf Office the more certain. Therefore
If there should dcvelope opposition to
the primary mt the Roanoke conven-
ton it would hardly get any aid or
comfort from the Virginia delegation
in Congress.
There might be some effort to have
the cost of primaries shouldcred onto
the state. instead Of on the candidates
themselves. But ii would not be loei.
cal for the congressional delegation 10
support such proposition. II would
encourage ambitious follows to get in
to the race. If they felt there was not
a few hundred or thousand dollars to
be put up for the privilege of being
the opposing candidate.
Congressman Well Satisfied.
On the whole, the Virginia delega-
ZION seems 10 be pretty we'll satisfied
with existing conditions, and would
not care to return TO the old system
case in point will illustrate how
That worked. Representative Hay at
one time had his official shoes coveted
by Barney Keezell. of Rockingham.
and Henry Downing. of Front Royal.
was figured out that if KeezclI
could get Rockingham solid and what
scattering strength he would have.
and Downing could get Clarke AMI
warren, with a share of Frederick,
they would be able to leave Hay with
only the little counties east OF the
Blue Ridge and a small following in
some of the other counties. This
would have enabled them to pool their
interests and organize the convention.
~ was proposed that the stronger of
mem should get The backing Of the
othcr. Such program. put through,
might have left Hay out in the cold.
and 1t might have gone through had
not some one gotten ocld feet Under
The present system, such deal could
not he carried through, and no one
known that better than the Hon.
James Hay.