The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-02-04

Primary Proved Popular.
The state Democratic committee
decided to leave the question of
calling a convention to the people
1t is hardly far enough along yet to
select presidential candidates by
primary elections, but it is coming
to that. Once the United States SEN
ate has been legally turned over to
fate at the polls the primary will
not be long in becoming statewide
and nationwide. Wherever the sena-
torial election has been left to the
people, in the primaries, it has
proved too popular to turn back and
that indicates that some time the
people will sooner or later demand
primaries from top to bottom.-Dun-
Mellon Advocate.
Sentiment Against Committee.
There has been nothing which Gre
ated more interest throughout the
state recently than the action of the
state executive committee of the DEM
ocratic party taking out of the party
| primary the nominations for circuit
court judgeships and states attorneys,
placing these sixteen officers on the
appointive list to be filled by the gov
ernor, irrespective of what the voters
| may desire.
That the committee acted against
the wishes of the greater part of the
people of the state has been shown
already, the sentiment expressed be-
| ing almost unanimously against the
committees action.
In Hillsborough county the commit
tees action is decidedly unpopular
SO much so, in fact, that a petition
| is now being circulated for sigma
lures which has for its purpose the
| calling together of the Hillsborough
county Democratic executive commit
tee on February IL to take. action In
the premises.-Tampa Times.
Usurpation BY Proxy.
Why did not the Jacksonville pa
pers give the names Of the members
and proxies who voted at the meet
ing Of the state Democratic executive
| committee? Who did the voting? Our
member from DeSoto was not within
200 miles of Jacksonville. Yet the
press reports would indicate he was
present in person. The public ought
| to know the names of the men who
| assumed to reverse the declared wish
of the party that elected them. II this
| change is right and wise, we ought to
know the men who eliminated the
judiciary from politics" - Arcadia
News.
Democrats Should Act.
While having the greatest respect
| for the state Democratic executive
| committee, the News-Record is firmly
of the belief that that distinguished
| body of Democrats made a mistake
! when it undertook to leave off of the
| primary ticket the names of candi-
| dates for the offices Of circuit Judge
| and states attorney.
AS has been pointed out if 1t had
the right to do that it had the right
| to omit calling a primary election al
together. If they had taken the lat
ter course, the Democrats Of the state
would have been relegated to their
original rights, and could of them
selves called either primary or con-
ventions as best suited them. That
being true, when applied to all Off
GERS, it is equally true Of part of the
officers, those which the committee
took upon itself to eliminate from the
| ticket. Democrats now being thrown
| back upon themselves, with regard to
judges and state attorneys, , in cir
cults There either one or the other
| L,
have the right to call conventions, or
to insist that in those circuits the
names of prospective candidates for
those Offices be placed upon the
ticket. 1t is pleasure to note that
the executive committee of Escambia
county take this view of the case and
will insist that the names of all can
didates, without exception, be submit
ted to the Democratic voters of that
county. This example should be fol
| lowed in every other county in the
state and the primary ticket be made
up as contemplated by Democratic
citizens, and not as arbitrarily deter.
mined by the state committee.-Mi.
ami News-Record.
Right to Rob the voters?.
Had the state Democratic execu.
| tive committee any right to withdra W
from popular vote of the party any
office? The party had twice emphati.
cally voted to elect or nominate all
by primary. The committeeman &C
cepted their position with a full
| knowledge of this fact. 1t is illogic.
al to argue, as does an esteemed anti
primary paper, that under the state
| l.