Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-04-02
POPULAR RULE IS
ON TRIAL IN THE
PRIMARY OF MAY |"
nOueStion Is Whether Machine
Can Entrap the People,
Says Alexander, Sounding
Wilson Assembly at Dalton
(special Dispatch to The Journal)


strength OF tho county rallied around
them to stay with them until the coun-
ty declares its voice for Mr.. Wilson
on May l.
In an eloquent speech, but with con-
sentative expression. Representative
Hooper Alexander. Of DeKalb coun-
ty, sounded the assembly to the
Wilson cause here today at the
noon adjournment OF court A
large audience heard the speaker intent
Iy throughout his convincing argument,
and at the conclusion of the speech the
woodrow Wilson sentiment in this coun-
ty stood solfdly organized.
you and I are going 20 have this
year the first opportunity we have ever
had to vote for a president" Mr.. Alex
ander began. "AIl my life have look
ed forward to the coming of a time
when can cast a vote on that subject
without being restricted in my ballot
to a mere choice between two men in
whose nomination 1 had no voice. two
vas beyond my reach and beyond the
reach Of the people.
THE PEOPLES VOICE.
and because this year the people are
really to nominate the Democratic can
didate, you see thing happening that
has never happened before. Instead Of
a lot OF skilled and customary po-
liticaI nauipuIators meeting in secret
caucus to fix upon the man for the
people to vote for, appeal is being made
openly and in free discussion directly to
the people. as to whom they will name
for the politicians TO support
Il addressed the voters OF Franklin
county last Tuesday upon the subject,
and / believe that when I rose in the
court house at GAINESVILLE for that pur-
pose, ii was the first time in Georgia,
ne first time in the United States, the
first time In American history, that any
citizen OF this great country ever adj
dressed a meeting of his fellow-citizens
on such 9 subject and for such a pur-
pose.
I'VE have been allowed, indeed, to go
through the form of popular election,
but Il has been form and not substance
The constitution removed the election OF
a president as far as possible IRON the
people by devising the electoral system.
and when we rubbed out that obstacle
by pledging the electors IN advance to
vote for the party nominee. the party
bosses defeated the popular aspiration
BY inventing a system Of party nomina-
tons that removed the real choice
farther than ever from the people.
A PERFUNCTORY FORM
Heretofore the party practice has
been that in some way in which you
and 1 had no part, county delegates
have been chosen TO go up to state
convention in Atlanta, and this conven-
ton has chosen delegates to another
convention in Chicago, and this Chicago
convention has named a party candi-
date. and the people Of the United
States have had nothing in the world
to do with choosing a president, e,E-
cept TO go to- the polls in November
and vote for the man they were told
10 vote for.
And. mark you, this right Of the peo-
pie to a voice on the subject is not uni
versaL The right which the people of
Georgia are to enjoy this year is not to
be enjoyed all over the United States.
We are TO have it in Georgia, and we are
to have it, not by the order of the ma
tional executive committee, but by the
order of the Georgia committee. 1t is
the state Democratic executive commit
tee OF Georgia that has ordered that this
year every member of the party who
has registered shall have the right to
go to the polls and put in one ballot for
president, and that his ballot shall be
exactly equal to the ballot of every 9TH
er man, neither more nor less.
This is the order against which the
Atlanta Constitution and the Eacon Tel
egraph and the Savannah News are
making such an cutlery. And charge
here that the real ground of their bit
terness lies in the fact that they don't
60 ~. - al
They may deny it as much as they
/ please. but that's the truth Of it. The
old order is what they want, under
which a set Of delegates used to meet
and juggle in Atlanta and trade over
positions and honOrs. They want the
nomination OF a president removed as
far as possible from the people. They
don't want the people to vote at the
ballot box on their choice for president,
and that's what they are angry about
FACT IN PLAIN WORDS.
They don't dare admit that, and
therefore they cover up their rage under
a pretense that they want the voting 10
be so arranged that one mans vote shall
count more than another. according as
where he lives They won't dare admit
I in plain English that that is what they
want They cover il up under tricky
words but give you the plain English
l OF it Stripped OF all words, the plain
l fact is that the committees order gives
| TO every Democrat in Georgia a vote
that is exactly equal TO the vote OF ev-
I cry other Democrat, and let's every Dem
ocrat vote directly for his choice and
/ the nomination goes TO the man who
gets the biggest vote. Isn't that fair?
I Isn't that right? VIII am just man
demand more2 VIII any brave man be
satisfied With less2
But that is not all When you vote
/ in November for president in the gen.
eral election. you vote under a rule by
which every mans vote in Georgia
counts exactly as much as any other
mans vote, no matter where he lives.
| Has anybody ever denied the fairness of
that law? They dare not. Well, the
committee ordered that the primary vote
/ in May shall be taken exactly on the
same basis. II It is right to elect that
way in November, why isa't IL right to
nominate that way IN May2
IN tell you what's the matter. These
/ political schemers are not half so mad
at your having an equal vote as they
are at your having vote at all. All
these years they have manipulated and
/ juggled party conventions and you have