The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1910-11-03

be made to counterfeit the corruption
of our white primaries, I have de-
cided to "stand for Congress" at the
election, November 8, 1910. Not as
an Independent but as an Insur-
gent Jeffersonian Democrat exercis-
ing the right to combat usurpation of
power by executive committees, and
the Nominations of Darkroom eau
cuses of the few against the many, as
we'll as the greater evil of violation
of our white primary laws by unscru-
pulous candidates for nomination.
Between duty to my country and
regularity to corrupt and lawless
party ethics I choose my country;
between virtue and vice I prefer the
former; between drunkenness and
sobriety I pay court to the latter.
In 1861 I dedicated my life to
Dixie land" For four years I
placed my life upon the altar of the
Southern cross. l have no cause to
regret the act or mourn the sacrifice.
The great Union, of which Georgia
was a member, said my action was
irregular" Perhaps it was. ethic-
ally; but logically, it was the proper
thing to do.
Today / dedicate my candidacy to
the purity of elections and the moral
uplift of our white primaries above
the corrupting influence of money,
whiskey and human demagogues.
Twice have I attempted to enter
the white primaries in the Tenth
Congressional District and each time
have | been forced to withdraw in
consequence Of the partizan action Of
Hardwick's executive committeeman
and the lack Of five or ten thousand
dollars to finance the white primary
campaign. I could not see, then,
how an honest man could pay more
for a congressional nomination than
he would receive as salary were he
elected, and I cannot see now, unless
he expects to recoup by deserving the
cause Of the common people in the
interest of protected corporations.
Regarding political nominations
by our white primaries as nothing
more than a bond for title to the
office, they can have no greater legal
sanctity than a bond for title to
property If the bond for title was
obtained through illegal and corrupt
methods it should have no more
binding effect than bond for title
to property would have in court Of
justice, after the illegal and corrupt
method through which it was OBJ
tanned became known and was plead
In the matter of political nomina-
tons you could not know of the cor
rupt and illegal methods used and
practiced to obtain the nomination
until after the primary. There being
no statutory provision by which the
courts can pass Judgment upon the
legality OF illegality of political
nominations by white primaries. the
electorate should constitute them
selves as judges, and whenever or
wherever they have cause to believe
that money whiskey Or corruption
was used or practiced to secure the
nominations, they should revoke, by
their ballots at the general election,
the false bond for title. There is no
other way to purify the white pri-
mary elections.
Enforce this remedy one time, and
you place every politician on notice
that a bond for title to an office,
through white primary, must be
free from the faint of fraud, or lille
gality before you will validate it at
the general election, and we will
have clean primaries thereafter
1t is useless waste of time to
attempt to rectify the evil by grand
iurv indictments Truo there is