The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1911-05-31
PEOPLE WANT A PRIMARY
BUT THEY WON'T GET IT FROM
THE PRESENT COMMITTEE.
Two Well known GeOrgians Who
Have Travelled Extensively Don't
Agree With Chairman Wright.

Have Travelled Extensively Don't
Agree With Chairman Wright.
ATLANTA. Somebody is evident
Iy wrong with regard to the extent
of the popular desire for a senatorial
primary
Chairman w C. Wright of the
State Democratic Executive Commit
tee came out in a statement the 9th
er day in which he said he had made
canvass of the situation through
members of the committee and as
certained that the people generally
are Indifferent as to whether a pri~
mary is held or not
Chairman Wright assigned that as
one of his reasons for refusing to
call a meeting Of the state committee
to consider the question. His other
leading reason was that three
fourths of the members of the COM
mittee themselves were opposed to a
primary and as they would vote
against it there was nothing to be
gained even by consideration of
the question.
Two well known Georgia politi-
clans who have been travelling quite
extensively over the state and who
naturally object to the use of their
names becalse they are themselves
running for office have come to At
lanta with rather digerent story.
Both express the view that while
demand the people Of the state as a
rule want primary.
This view that the people of the
state are altogether Indifferent to a
senatorial primary" said one of
them, lis in my opinion q serious
mistake. l have been pretty nearly
from one end of the state to the
other and it seems to me that there
is a pretty general feeling that a
primary ought to be held. A great
many people have said to me they
thought a primary the proper meth
cd of solving the senatorial tangle
In fact | heard two or three times
as many expressions to that effect
as l did in opposition to a primary.
The other political tourist made a
similar report, so that there is evil
dence Of mistaken impression on
somebody's part, either that OF the
committees chairman and his asso-
ciates or the politicians who have
been looking about in their own in
terests.
However, conflicting opinions can
scarcely make any difference at this
late date; the holding of a primary
now, in advance of the legislative
session, is now practically out of the
! question, and about the only matter
| of interest in connection with it is
as to what effect or bearing it il
| going to have on the election itself
In view Of conflicting rumOrs and
! reports that would be pretty hard to
say. Some profess to believe that
/ it will hurt Hoke Smiths chances;
others that it will make no differ
ence one way or another.
Governor Smith has not vet
replied to the recent challenge of S.
/ Guyte McLendOn, former chairman
Of the railroad commission, for a Sc
/ ries Of Joint debates on the subject
| Of the senatOrship.
/ MI. Smith has scarcely been in
/ Atlanta more than few hours at
time since the challenge was writ
| ten; but to a friend who asked him
about it the other day he simply re-
piled that he had nothing to say and
did not want to be quoted as saying
that
In fact, Mr. Smith is still lodging
! the senatorial situation so far as any
public expression is concerned, but
his friends have come to believe al
most that he is already elected, not
withstanding the persistent claims
of Senator Jos. NJ Terrells friends
that he has majority of the men,
bers back of him, and that there is
! no question about his election