The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-12
DATE IF PRIMARY SUBJECT OF WORRY Georgia Politicians Have Busy
 Time Ahead CANDIDATES ARE SCARCE Many Advocates of Late Primary Are Found, While Others Want It Early.
 Republicans Also Have
 Their Troubles.
CANDIDATES ARE SCARCE

Atlanta, February 11.-(Special.) )-Now that provision has been made for the pri- mary for state house officers and United States senator the next thing in order will be the various congressional district primaries. Congressional executive com nittees generally await the action of the state committee, and this year has been no exception. So far the committees in the districts have set no dates for thelr primaries but unless there is some con trolling reason for variation, the date of the regular state primary is usually chosen for the primary for congressman.
 As rule the members of the congress sional executive committee are close friends of the congressman, and within reason stand ready to select any date he may desire.
 With opposition of the rather strenuous sort in four or five districts, and with Congress likely to sit until June or nearly that time, 1t would seem that the mem bers who have opposition, and who are attending to their duties in Washington, while their. opponents are in the field, would want a date sufficiently late to give them opportunity to mingle some with their constituents before the nomi- hating ballot is cast.
 On the other hand, the late primary gives the opponent more time to hustle about and make the acquaintance of vot- CTS, and thus has it's disadvantages from the incumbents standpoint. It is safe to say therefore, that most of the congress sional district primaries will be held this year on the same date as the state pri- mary, so that the people may be relieved insofar as is possible from the election nuisance.
 In the Fifth district, for instance rep resented by Congressman L. F. Living ston, no meeting of the executive commit tee has yet been called, and Chairman Allen does not know when he will call it. It is probable, however, that it will be at time when Congressman Livingston can conveniently be here to look after his interests. The general impression among members of the committee is that the primary in this district will be fixed for June 4, the date of the state primary.
 Scarcity of Candidates.
 The date of the state primary, June 4, has not encouraged an abundance of can didates. The candidates who are out usu- ally want late primary. For those who are in, the earlier the better. A prob able result of the early primary date, therefore, will be a scarcity of candidates for statehouse offices in opposition to those now holding them.
 The only announcement since the meet ing of the state committee is that from w. J. Speer, former state treasurer, who
 l.1 k4 lAII again. There are others talking about making the race for this office.
 It is believed, however, that the en- couragement of opposition to the present state treasurer grows rather out of the recent troubles over the defunct Neal bank, and the litigation of which it has been productive, than out of any inde- pendent belief that Treasurer Park would prove vulnerable before the people As to the Neal bank proposition, however, Cap tain Parks friends in several sections of the state have assured him that 1t is re- garded in their communities as purely an Atlanta affair, but outside of that 1t is stated that no act of his has in anywise shaken public confidence in him.
 There have been no suggestions of an- nouncements from any other candidates, though there has been much curiosity to know what Hon. Seaborn Wright of Floyd proposes to do in the matter of opposing Senator Clay. Mir Wright, as is well known, wanted a late primary. This was, in effect, a sine qua non of his entry into the race. MT. Wright has promised to make a statement of his attitude and what he proposes doing following the ac- tion of the state committee. but since an early primary was decided upon, it is the generally accepted belief that'he will steer clear of the race.
 Many Legislative Contests.
 Reports from over the state indicate contests for both branches of the legisla- ture in almost all of the counties and sen atorial districts, and some of them will be of the warmest sort.
 The legislative races will, in a sense. prove a test of the survival of the reform septiment as 1t has affected the state.