The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-02-28
SENATE TAKES Up ].
PRIMARY MEASURE.
FIRST TWO Committee AMEND.
MENTs TO RYRD-rEATHER-
sToN BILL ADOPTED.
ONE APPROVED BY ALL
NAMING OF DATES PLACED IN
HANDS OF STATE, COUNTY
AND CITY COM
MITTEES.
ONE APPROVED BY ALL

Taken up yesterday at j o'clock in
the Senate. the Byrd primary bsll as
amended and changed by the Senate
Committee on Privileges and Eaec-
tions was considered for an hour.
Two amendments were adopted be-
fore adjournment at O'Clock. ono
brought no opposition. The other
met with strong objection from Mr..
Featherston. Joint patron OF the blu.
and others.
The FIRST amendment provides more
clearly than did the original bin that
party authorities shall say whether
primaries or conventions are TO be
held. Ii is left optional.
The second amendment places the
naming of primary dates In the hands
Of party committees. In the bill az
drawn specific dates were nar1.d. A
time for naming State officers and
United States senators will be desig-
mated by State committees. time
for primaries to name congressio nal
candidates will be In the hands Of
eongr. ssionaI committees. Primaries
fer naming county and city officers
will be left TO county and city com
mittees. Sixteen members voted
against this amendment. Twenty cast
their votes for it.
Oppose Amendment.
Mr.. Walker, OF Northumberland,
supported Mr.. F'eatherzton In an at
Tempt 10 have uie Amendment
stricken out. The original bill, he said,
fixed definite and specific time. 1t
was simple and provided that pri-
maries throughout the State be held
on the same day.
This amendment said Mr. Wal
ker, is bad. 1t allows a rambler OF
primaries to be held instead of one.
That was one of the things We par
ticuIariy desired to do away with.
There will always be the charge that
committees are holding primaries 10
suit the convenience Of certain can
didates-
Mr.. West. of Suffolk. also opposed
the amendment He said his people
and the people of Nansemond and
nearby counties wanted primaries
held at a specific time.
Why the amendment WAS added
was explained by MIR. Holt, chair
man of the Privileges and Elections
Committee, II was designed. he said,
TO preserve party integrity and TO
keep the matter OF party control
in the party primary. The authors
OF the bill, he said. overlooked the
purpose themselves The bill as at
first drawn" he added, would put
too much power into the hands OF
judges"
Mr.. Holt Explains
When opponents of the amendment
said there was no reference To
sideration. Mr. Holt declared all the
amendments following depended upon
the one being discussed. THE others,
he said, ARE useless without this.
We do not want the same crowd hold
ing primaries and elections Let's
keep them separate The election is
q check on the primaries and the
primaries are check On the cleo
ton. This should not be voted down
unless better amendment Ia rug
gasted.''
Mr. Saunders declared the amend
ment related to nothing but the
method for fixing a time for pri-
maries
Dir. Hart and Mr. RIson advised
the adoption OF the amendment. Mr.
Rtson declared more fexibility should
be allowed in holding primaries. be-
cause people in different parts of the
State could better determine for
themselves when they would hold
their own primaries. THE original
bin would result" he said. '1n Demo
cratic and Republican primaries being
held the same day Is II fair TO the
Republicans to put two Democrats in
their primaries?"
Both Mr.. Catron and Mr.. Sowder,
Republicans. declared they we're not
averse to Democratic judges In Re
publican primaries IL the Republican
organization was allowed to name the
third man.
The bill will be taken up again at
noon today.