The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-05
BOARD PRIMARY
ON SEPTEMBER 10
City Committee Names
Date After Hours
of Wrangling.
BALLOT MATTER
FOR GRAND JURY
Jefferson Ward Superintendent
Instructed to Appear in Court
and Present All Facts Bear
ing on 1rregularity--Both
Factions Satisfied
in End.

In order 10 eliminate tho reuot.Ft
possibility Of deubt as 10 the Legality
OF the primary for rhe selection or
members or the Administrative Board.
tho City Democratic Committee. at It's
meeting last nishi unanimously
adopted revolution fxinE September
10 az the date for the primary. The
CORNER action OF tue committee In tho
matter OF rxinE "a data was rcscindej.
This solution OF the vexed problem
WA reached only attsr two hOurs OF
debate. which at ZINES grew 30 heated
In character as 70 threAtsn the block
Ing OF al! action. The strong ma Jorlty
farorins :he direct primary method ot
nominating candidates profeFsed 10
see in the move for rappenlng the
question ts the date & sinister at
tempt on the part ~ those favoring
Tho convention plan to force new
sch.me less huziiIs To their position
Only when Chairman Miles ~. Martin
Secretary " G. Duke and others Of
che small minority. who stuck out for
the convention. gavo unqualified as
sufarce that no attempt would be
made TO reopen the primary or con
rsntion" question. did the suspicious
majority Bgrse 70 prTptit recon
struotion OF ih- earlier resolution
Investigate Alleged misconduct.
Following short statement b.
Chairman Martin, giving tho salient
facts Ia the alleged election irrcEu
larity mt the Second Precinct in fcf-
ferson Ward II. II. Florance ntr7
duced tho folio wing resolution. which
wss unanimously adopted
1T Is moved tina; T. . Hicks the
superintendent Of Jefferson ward be
directed TO appear before tho grand
Jury OF the MAJ term OF the iIusiinxs
Court o; Richmond and lay before said
grand jury tha facts within his KNOW
81, al.
rorteA as haH5s .crG'red - fFe
Bocond Precinct. Jefferson NaTd.'
ny. FlOrapce. In presenting the
resolution. stated thar ia doing go lie
did not desire 10 csii INTO question thu
honesty OF integrity OF Nj. Hicks or
any OF the other official a. The voting
booth under examination. II was his
conviction, he said, that meme Of thc
officials ives suIIty CT misconduct. The
resolution Vas offered, ne said. TO az
ford Mr.. Hicks an opportunity OF max
ing statement. auu to settle the
matter once fcr all
Other speakers later in the evening
Endorsed thls View or the matter. CIV
Ing II ss their opinion mat the whole
incident had been given more pronl!n-
encc than 1t deserved. nd that when
properly s!fted 1t VIII be- found TO
have been due to pardonable over
sight ~ mistake with 40 one TO blame.
w u. bNk= way iItllEsl 10 dt'IlDGlt
the prominence the matter has received
In the press TO ,he "we!l-known
avidity displayed 10y newspapers for
everything that has t!nEe or scnsa
uonalism
A to CITY Emrlo.ex.
The meeting closed with L free tor
all debate on the propr.eiy OF employ
Ing men who ho.-. positions ucder the
city. in the capacity OF election officers.
Captain W. n. Myers let loose the dogs
OF war with an unqualified statement
that II the practice at putting city
employees in official positions At the
polling places Is persistcd in. the OPP
probriunI that VIII be heapcd on the
City Democratic Committee for permit
ting II viii be such that no decent
man Will act on the committee"
Captain Myers told OF conversations
with business and professional men In
which the latter criticized severely the
employment OF these mon at the poll
Ing places In two precincts In JEFF
ferson Ward, he Eaid. the city employees
who were election officers. outnumber-
cd those without attachment to tho
municipal government.
while | do not want to be under
stood as rejecting upon the integrity
81 city employees ~ Il class. and while
] am CONVINCED that rs Il lody of men
they compare favorab bly, with anv other
class OF men In the city" said Captain
Myers. 81 think that this committee
would act wisely in declaring itself
against the practice of employing them
es election officers. and thus silence
all possible Instructions"
The epaeGh drew heated replieK from
number Of committee members who
ere In the employ oc the city mem
Der from Jefferson Ward scented a
yelled attack OF the methods cmpl oy cd
Sla-e In the Council primary. and re-
Piled pointedly that nc had noticed M
remark able Improvement in the politi-
cal practices of Leo Ward, of which
Captain Myers is y representative.
The crosshre became dangerously
personal when Chairman Martin
Rm2othed the incident over with an
explanation that the criticism was gem
oral and applied 10 the whole city alike.
He thought II would he a wise policy,
If only for the sake OF harmony, to
frown down upon the practice.
Legality Might Re Questioned
Chairman Martin opened the primary
QUESTION Immediately after the ADOPT ION
OF the resolution calling for a grand
fury investigathn Of the jefferson
Ward incident. In his judgment. ne
said. the City Committee made seri.
ons bunder I'm fixing tho primary 10,
the Administrative Board for the Same
day as that OF the primary for the
Third Congressional District. The
Byrd primary law, not being an emer-
gency measure no said. does MT he-
come effective until June ii. and by
the action of the district committee
the primary would have to be hold on
July Is.
, Under the Byrd law. a candidate fer
any ONCE must deposit. sixty days be-
fore the primary Is held. an entrance
fAA Aoual to 8 per cent of tho amoiint