The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-10-11
PRICE SUGGESTS 4 PLAN
To Pay Expense Of Holding \ Primary.
state Chairman Makes q Fair Pro-
pOaal to County. Committees

state Chairman Makes q Fair Pro-
pOsaI to County Committees
Jacksonville, Oct. 11-Declaring that
primary should be held for the pur-
pose of electing a successor to Sena-
toral Nominee Napoleon 3. Broward
and making the excellent suggestion
that each county committee bear the
expenses of the primary in its respec-
tive county, Will II. Price, chairman
Of the state democratic executive COM
mittee, has issued the following inter
esting letter to the chairmen OF the
committees of the forty-seven coun-
ties of the state:
Mariana, Fla, Oct. 8, 1910.
Dear Sir-Owing to the death of
Hon. Napoleon 3. Broward, who was
recently nominated for the position of
United States senator as successor to
Hon. James P. Taliaferro, it will be
necessary to ereconvene the state COM
mittee for the purpose of determining
some method Of selecting a successor
for this important position.
In the last primary the people OF
this state. by their vote, expressed
themselves as being heartily in favor
of nominating candidates for office.
and it is my view, II it can be proper
ly arranged, that this means should be
adopted for nominating some one to
fill the position to which Governor
Broward was nominated at the last
primary. Should the respective coun-
ties, however. if primary should be
called. make the usual charge for
holding a primary election. that is. if
the county committees, inspectors and
clerks are to be paid it will require a
large amount Of money to hold such an
election.
There are now four candidates for
the office of United States senator.
and probably others will enter the
race. The probabilities are that no
election will be had at the first pri-
mary, if it should be called. and that a
second primary will. therefore, be
necessary. There are forty-seven
counties in the state of Florida, and if
the usual charges are made for hold
ing primary election to nominate a
United States senator, it will require
at least $500 in each county to defray
the expenses of such an election, or in
the aggregate $9,4O0. and If a second
primary should become necessary, it
will require approximately $4,000 to
defray the expenses of both primaries
The state committee has in it's pos
session between five hundred and sew
en- hundred dollars, and has no method
by which it could raise the necessary
funds to defray this large expense
which would be absolutely necessary.
There is no method provided by law
to require the candidates for the office
of United States senator to pay more
than five per cent of the first years
larry, which would be 1915 each, and
to request them to put up this large
amount of $4,000, it seems to the
writer would be unfair and unjust, and
would have a tendency to eliminate
from the race all candidates not pos
sessed of great wealth. I do not think
such an arrangement would be just, as
some of the brainest men we have ir
/; the state are men who are not in af-
! fluent circumstances, and to request
them to put up five or six thousand
dollars for the purpose of holding a
primary would be an act of great in.
justice. and probably would eliminate
them entirely from the race, although
+! they might be better qualified for such
| position than those who might aspire
to such position who had sufficient
! funds to pay their prorata to defray
the expenses Of such election withou,
serious Inconvenience.
i Counties Can Pay the Cost
1t seems to me, however. that there
| is one way by which this expense car
/ be avoided, therefore, this letter i:
| written to you, and that is, for eacl
county committee to guarantee to thu
| chairman of the state committee tha
such county will hold such primary OF
primaries, as the case may be, withOu
| cost to the state committee the stat,
| committee to furnish ballots and sta
tionery. Such county in making tn,
guarantee should obligate itself tt
hold such primary or primaries. as tn,
case may be, in each and every distric
or voting precinct. This can be don,
by the county committee in each cOun
ty. if it will procure inspectors ant
clerks who will do the work for then
in each voting precinct without charg,
THE county committee itself acting il
a similar position.
\ Meeting In November
| The state committee will be called
together in November. and in orde
/ that this committee may act intelli
| gently when it assemblies. it is neces
sary that I hear from you with refer
ence to the matter at your earlies
convenience.
/ Trusting that you can arrange t,
hold such primary without expense t.
the state committee, or to the candi
dates for the position Of United State
| senator. the state committee to fur
Inish blanks and ballots as aforesaid
and that you win advise me, thereb,
+. giving the citizens of the state an op
portunity of expressing their choic,
for the nomination of a successor t,
F., succeed Senator Taliaferro. I am. your
respectfully, Will II. Price.
chairman State Democratic Executiv,
| Committee