The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-24
By HUGH ". ROBERTS

Montgomery, December 23.-(Special)- R. Tyler Goodwin, chairman of the state democratic executive committee. today issued a formal statement, in which in answer to criticism concerning the ac- tion of the committee in Birmingham on Wednesday, he sets out the fact that in reference to permitting convention to name the delegates to the national con vention, no party law, written or unWrit- ten. was infringed upon.
 The statement, which is full and which goes into the minutest detail bearing upon the argument, follows:
 'gThe criticism that the state demo- cratic executive committee, at it's recent meeting in Birmingham. acted contrary to party law. made by certain newspapers interested in securing presidential sec ond choice instruction in a primary. is not supported by. the party records.
 ',since the charge, however. has been madc I feel it due to the democrats of Alabama that inc facts be furnished them showing taat the committee acted strict- ] ly, in line with rarty law and party in strnctions Every democrat in Alabama should understand fully that there has never been, either directly or indirectly, any instruction by any convention re- quirins or suggesting that delegates to a national convention should be selected in a primary election, or that there should be any second choice instructions for presidential candidates.
 Reviews Party Law
 "Reviewing fhe party law upon the question Of primaries I submit that the committee acted properly, fairly, with out Eias and clearly within its prescribed authority For many years there has been discussion in the party, pro and eoil, upon the question. of primaries or con ventions. At the democratic state con vehtion, held :n Montgomery on Septem- her 10. 19o5, two resolutions were intro tuced, one by MT. Rice of Autauga coun- ty, and one by Mir Mckinley of Green county. dealing with the matter of state primaries. The resolution of MT. Me IIinley went to the extent of requirihs that even the democratic state executive committee should be elected in pri- mary election MT. F. S. White, chair man of the committee on platform and resolutions of that convention, reported that the resolutions offered by these two gentlemen had been adversed by the com mittee. and in lieu thereof, reported the following two blanks, which were adopted b 1nat con1ention as the party law
 J ~.Planls 30. We favor the nomina tion of United States senators and all state and county officers by plural itvnvote in primary elections.
 &plank 31 We favor holding a pri mary election for the nomination of Tinted States senator's, congressmen and all state and county officers on the same date, to-wit: on the third Monday in August of each year preced- ing every election at which said off cers are to be elected.'
 Full Extent of Instructions .These resolutions clearly present the full extent to which instructions were given to the state executive commit tee. "The primary election law passed by the present legislature made it possible to hold primary on the third Monday in August by requiring that all primary elections should be held at least four months prior to the gen. eral election.
 "The foregoing resolutions conclu- sively show that it was not the in tention of the party to declare for universal primaries inasmuch as it confined and limited primaries to the nomination of United States senator's congressmen and state and county off cers-explicitly declining to adopt the provision in the Mckinley resolution requiring the state executive commit tee to be elected in q primary and making no reference whatsoever to the selection of national delega les or pres idential candidates.
 | "Tho state convention which met on May IT, 1910. amended blanks 30 and 61 of the convention of 1906 by adopt ing the following plank:
 |, |" Plank 6. The nomination of the chief justice of the supreme court, the associate justices of the supreme court and the supernumerary judge shall be selected by convention duly called by the executive committee in which con vention the basis of representation shall be the democratic voting strength of the respective countless
 Thus the only exception made in blanks 30 and 31 of the convention of 1908 is as to supreme court judges and the supernumerafy judge. who, of course, are all embraced under the title of state officers
 Committee Acted Properly 'I submit to every fair-minded demo- | crat in Alabama that these party enact ,ments of record establish tho present law Iff the party upon the question of primary )ryEctldhs. They further show conclusive Athat the committee acted properly, and LHridtly within It's powers, and the charge I That it acted arbitrarily or unfairly is ut terly unfounded. On the contrary. the
 
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