The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-05
MINORITY HAS NO
 SHOW IN GEORGIA "What is the Use of @ State
 Convention?"
NO NEED OF DELEGATES
The Georgia Politicians Say That the Old Idea of state Party Convention Is Now
 Changed

Atlanta, September 4.-(Special)-. What is the use of a state conven- tion?s is a question that may well be asked following the gathering here on Thursday. in which the victorious faction rode rough shod over the mi nority. refusing it even the right of speech In the deliberations
 The question may be properly asked wholly without partisanship, even though based on what was done by a particular faction of the democratic party. Could a stranger from the oth- CT side of the globe have come to At lanta on the day of the state conVen- ton with a full understanding or all our $bIitical institutions, that 1s' no doubt. the first question which would have occurred to him.
 In the first place the old idea or the state democratic convention has been somewhat subverted. The origlnai idea of party primary and state con- vention was that the electors shoulu vote for delegates and that the dele gates should select the candidates. Now the electors vote directly for the candidates in the primary and the del egates are chosen as secondary pro ceeding, merely to gather and do over again what the people have already done at the polls.
 finder the original idea of the con vantton there were deliberations both as h inc candidates and as to the plat form; under the present plan as ex- emplified in Thursdays convention there is no such thing as deliberation. The programme is cut and dried; the minor itv Is a fifth wheel without functions and the only purpose the convention serves is to permit the blowing off of a little factional political steam.
 This was abundantly demonstrated when some 1900 delegates representing 233 convention votes met here to nom mate Hoke Smith for governor ana put out a party platform. For all the figure they cut in the convention, for all the use they were to the state or marty. the 1855 Brown delegates might just as well have stayed at home.
 Those 135 Brown delegates came here as they stated, representing 93,00O Georgia voters and yet they were not even permitted to place the name of the defeated candidate in nomination before the convention as matter of form.
 As for representation on the plat form committee they were more effect uallv shut out than are the Chinese under the national exclusion act II was the same way with the new state executive committee.
 1,bara has been no particular pro- fest made against the convention plan; hr+ if has been pointed out that the convention as now conducted is waste of time and energy and more useless than fifth wheel.
 Gf convention is toN do no more than the people have already oohe a' the polls, that is, to promulsate tie decision of the electorate, the same thing might just as readily be done py the party chairman. with appeal to the state executive committee Tn case ol contests nresents itself in this connection re- iates to the formation of a party plat
 
 known Georgia politician that this nroblem might readily be solved by nroyidIng that each candidate Tor gov ernor shall submit his platform to the people. publishing 1t broadcast before the primary, and let that platform. which is indorsed at the polls in the primary, be the platform of the party
 The advantage in such a plan is ob- yious The people would be made aware in the beginning of every state political principle for which they were voting and the platform would thus become the general expression or the electorate instead of that of their del- eeates meeting in convention, who do nothing more than indorse platform prepared and submitted at the dicta- ton of the successful candidate.
 Tn conventions are to continue upon the plan of that held Thursday, when the first thing in order Is the adoption of the prearranged programme of the majority, effectually shutting out the minority at every point, even In the matter of brief suggestion or protest. 1t is pointed out that there Is certainly nothing of benefit or advantage either for party or faction in the continued holding of them.
 The foregoing are, In summary. the observations of several well known conservative Georgia politicians who were silent spectators of the state con vention held here this week. They ap- ply, it would appear. with equal force to either faction of the party. It be- comes really a. party rather than a factional question. WOMAN BLACKMAILED
 H