The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-17
FRANK s. WHITE HEADS
 THE STATE COMMITTEE

some of the members of the State com n1ittee to question their Jurisdiction over an appeal of this character. Mir. Lackey not only said the committee had precedent to listen to an appeal of this character. but declared hat there Is common law jurisdiction in- herent in the State committee to review such action on the part of the sup- ordinate committee.
 Tt Is true that this committee has not been granted power by the statutes of Alabama to assume Jurisdiction" said Mir. Lackey in answer to Mir. Walker. of Athens. but neither has any sta- the right to the governing body of a political party to take whatever action 1t sees fit to insure its integrity and to deal justice when necessary.
 Here Is the case of a subordinate committee controlled by the contestant 1 who filed his contest without furnish ing proof to sustain his charges. He files 1t with a partisan committee and then gets a favorable action. I do not see how we can avoid taking notice of the appeal. The primary. take it, means more than nothing. Here Is an attempt to nullify the results of a primary. The integrity of the Demo- cratic party means something. too, and there is nothing in the action of the committee of Taliapoosa county. that is authorized by statute. law or the Democratic party.
 There can be no such thing as two Democratic nominees for the same off, flee. That is void on the face. It is an anomaly that we should by no meesls permit to exist"
 General Bibb Graves, of Montgomery. when Mir. Lackey presented his motion that the State committee declare the new county committee has exceeded It's auth ority and that Mir. Oliver is the regular nominee as pronounced by the former county committee, offered substitute to the effect that the new county committees judgment be set aside and an. order of the State com mittee be made that the county com mittee go into tue evidence of the con- test and renderN Judgment accord ingiy.
 W. l.. Lee, of Houston county, ex- pressed his belief that the matter ought to be threshed out at home between the Democrats. there as Democrats. and so supported the Graves resolution.
 Mir. DeGraffenrted believed that Mir. Oliver ought to be declared the noni- nee. MT. H. B. Stegall. of Ozark, was in favor of the State committee not taking cognizance of the appeal as there was nothing before the State committee to warrant any action.
 Major R. n. Erwin of Mobile. made a strong appeal for the State Committee not acting hastily in overriding the rights of any party to the contest, thus alienating. maybe, some men of the party in the section referred. to and possibly furnishing an independent candidate with ammunition by raising the cry that the State Committee was itself partisan.
 Mir. Walker of Athens. was iu favor Of Q resoiution which would simply commit the State organization to de- elarinE void the action of the new County Committee. This. he said. would, without further action on the part of the State Committee, leave MT. Oliver the nominee as ordered by the former County Committee in the can-' vase.
 MT. Walker met with support from MT. Brown of cullman County.
 Mir. Nesbitt spoke briefly in the same temper.
 Davis ResoIutien Adopted.
 Then followed the resolution of Mir. Davis of Walker County, which was finally adopted. seeming to unite the individual opinions of so many who virtually agreed on the same proposi- tion. It was but a slight alteration of the resolution of MT. Lackey, and recognized the right of the contestant to pursue his contest with proof and right of appeal to the State organiza- tion.
 After disposing of the contest, Chair man Mallory. before a motion for ad- Journment could be entertained, stated that he had a communication which he wished read to the committee. He asked Mir. Stegall to step to the chair and preside while the resignation of the chairman was read.
 Then Mir. Stegall read the following letter of Chairman Mallory;
 To the Democratic State Committee:
 Gentlemen:
 Having announced that I will be a
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