The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-18
LIQUOR PEOPLE
FIGHTING BYRD
IN WINCHESTER.
Speaker Goes Back to Take
Hand in Matter; Declares
Primary System Must
Be Saved.

DC OdVCu.
Speaker Richard Evelyn Byrd, wv
has been engage in looking after
some law cases here and in Newport
News for the past week or ten days,
has gone to his home In Winchester.
primarily to appear In a law suit In
which he Is counsel and incidentally
to take a hand in the fight which the
liquor people are said to be making,
Z to prevent him from going as a dele
gate to the Roanoke convention. Be-
fore leaving the city Mr.. Byrd dis
cussed the matter to some extent with
a representative OF The Tin1es-Dis-
patch, and then referred TO the fight
on the primary, emphasizing his views
In favor of maintaining the system In
Virginia
II have had several letters from winches-
ter In reference to the CONVENTION CONVEX when
speaker. ~ his lis a mass convention for the
double purpose or nominating candidates for
the City Council and selecting delegates to
to think that an effort VIII DO madc TO
prevent my going to Roanoke as delegate.
and .hs. no are oenana ioe
will not mnterallze. 1 have been kept In
Richmond by professional engagemeuu and
am unable TO judge OF the situation. Will
try In WINCHESTER Monday morning
and Will then get In touch
1T Is undoubtedly true that many persons
tend this fact viii control the result. am
uteble at this distance to say.
Opposed to Mass Meetings.
II am absolutely opposed TO mass meat-
ineA as method OF nominating candidates
quentiy is made. the sesyieeable instru-
nlcnt OF political trickery. Many quiet and
good men WIN not attend mass meetinss:
By the new Constitution. contains an unan.
sserable argument against rich method OF
nemnst,9n a, mass convention there in !.
pcrtunlty to seBregate the voters from tbs
Eon-voters.
1T Is perfectly possible tina, non-voters
may control II mass meeting, and "a Dem.
oeratic nomination IS usually equivalent 10
an election. the curious anomaly would be
presented OF officials being selected not by
By persons who have no right to vote.
This. OF course. would be subvers!re OF
tho fundamental intents Of our Constitution
ard laws.
Wanted Bill Passed.
"Entertaln,ng very hiEh regard for
men like DR.. Barnes and Judge Duke, WIN
Wish TO see the primary system abolished.
am compelled. nevertheless. to- totally dis
primary has come to stay, and ought to
stay. The weakness OF the system now
administered is caused BY defects OF method
end detail and these can and should be
reinedied
II recognize these faults ana wish TO sea
! them remedied but tho remedy can only be
efficiently supplied by the cooperation OF
tho party and the General Assembly. In
other words. the primary should be legal
ICED, and Its OPERATION controlled by Law.
collaboration with ex-senator Machen, I
prepared lesaiized primary bill. which
provided. among other things. that the
l a r
Should be paid by the sta.e.
This bill was not introduced because
| Senate ami II was Understood ,hn. would
support the Strobe bill in the House. The
strede Bill. however. never emerged from
Views Clearly Defined.
! I'm paper read by mo before the State
| Press Association In June 1907, used tho
| following language:
The primary system in use IN this state
has several serious defects II the people
mary idea is valuable. certain reforms must
| be made In the system which now obtains
| In my opinion the most important reform Is
| the payment by the State OF the expenses
i OF holding primary elections. A general law
/ might designate a particular day upon which
all parties should hold primaries for the
| nc mination of candidatcs Tho election
statutes and machinery could easily be adj
\ justed to this end.
The present plan OF assessing Candidates
| thousands OF dollars for the mere privilege
| of being a candidate Is as bad as II could
| well be. 1t Is in effect an exclusion OF men
| o: moderate means from the moro impor-
tant offices. A method OF nomination., which
rs prof Snedly intended to enlarge the po-
| littcaI rights OF citizens. does not do what II
processes when 1t confines the people 10 a
| choice OF a few self-announced candidates
who can pay for the privilege of can-
/ dldacy.
'sIt rid Of this objection and II son,o
| arrangement be made whereby a mans
friends and supporters could put him in
domination for primary candidacy, tho
| primary systen presents great advantages
I think It Is idle to expect volunteers to do
the work for nothing. There would be no
lprcper basis OF selection of Judges and
| lcnH upon puuely volunteer charity
The Cleanest Method.
/ II am still conscious OF these defects. but
| they be cured by the cooperation Of
the General Assembly and the constituted
l authorities OF the Democratic party in V1r-
4 GINA.
i Even weighted with these disadvantages
/ the primary system is vastly better, cleaner,
mere honest and more satisfactory than the
! old method. Except the candidates en-
4 trance fee candidate can spend as much
or as little as he pleases. So he could. and
4 SO he did under the old system. Every
Il man in the State, who had relation to the
1 practical. politics of the state campaign OF
1901. knows that there was probably more
n money spent in that campaign than has
j been spent in any campaign since the insti-
\ tuition OF the primary
MIIRnERnuc AccAIugrc