The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-07-05

primary large number of Democrats
vas 80 plains that all over the DIS
trict thousands of Democrats declar
ed thejr purpose not to recognize CT
par,cirate in said primary, and
published a statement to the Demo
cats setting forth the injustice OF
tie action of the Committee TO me
and 70 the Democracy, and that
would not enter said primary.
Following this action of the Corn
mittee the dissatisfaction among the
Democrats became so great that
was aquested to meet with eepra
sentative Democrats from the dif
fcrcnt counties of the district ctm
posod of both factions of the party
in Columbia, which did March 18th
| taen stated to them that the action
OF tie Committee was wrong and
an injustice to me personally, but
that It was greater wrong AMI in.
Justice to the Democrats of the dis
trict; that so far as the personal
wrongs to me were concerned
would not run for Congress as q caL-
didate Independently, but that II the
Democrats of the district, protesting
against the great wrongs and lnius-
tice which had been done to Demo
cracy, tool. hold OF the mattel and
| Iedressed the grievances OF the
democratic party, and through an or
gani2ation which represented and re
hectu! the will and wish of the Demo
cratic party Of the district should
make a nomination, and | should he
selected as the nominee of the Demo
cIacy, | would accept the nomination.
The Democrats of the several coun-
ties of the district, without refer
e1ce 70 past political differences ana
composed of both regular and indie
pendent Democrats, did meet at the
county seats of all the counties of
the district on the first Monday in
Nay and selected delegates to {
Democratic convention at Franklin
June 4th, which convention honored
me with the nomination as the
Democratic candidate for Congress-
| | accepted that nomination and as
such Democratic nominee | appear
before you and ask for your endorse
n.ent and support.
The action of the Committee at
Franklin February 9th was so un.
fair and unjust and contrary to all
the customs and usages of the
Democratic party and was so parti-
san and manifestly intended to give
one candidate an unfair advantage
over other candidates that, in the
language of the Chattanooga Times,
one OF the strongest regular Demo
cratic papers in the state, the com.
mittee
ceased to be a committee in the
sense in which they were elected
ana became a machine operating
against the best interests of the
organization they were chosen
to serve, and usurpers of the
rights of the people,"
and the Democrats of the district
SO regarded it and took control of
the situation and reorganized the
party and appointed a new commit
tee. |, may call attention to the fact
that the people of the state took the
sane course with reference to the
reorganization of the State Commit
tees known as the Editors Plan"
under which the present State Demo
cratic organization is proceeding and
the campaign is being conducted.
Recently the Congressional COM
n1ttee published card seeking to
defend the action of the Committee
al Franklin February 9th, saying
they called the Congressional prim-
airy for April 9th because a state
primary had been called for that
date, but they failed to say that when
tie state primary for April 9th was
abandoned they still held to their
action for the Congressional primary.
Another state primary was called for
Nav 18th, and it was subsequently
abandoned, and still the Committee
clung tc its action for COMPRESSION
al primary April 9th. At the time
the Congressional Committee called
tie primary fol April 9th and re-
quirej the voters to pledge them
selves as to the state primary, they
knew that many thousands of Demo-
Gratis we're protesting against the
April 27th state primary and were
not going to participate in it and