Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-07-05
COMMITTEE HERE
To NAME DATE
Of PRIMARY
Generally Believed County Unit
Plan viii Be Adopted at
Meeting Tomorrow.

The state Democratic executive COM
mittee will meet in the senate chamber
of the capitol tomorrow at noon for the
purpose Of prescribing regulations and
naming date for the forthcoming
general primary for state house Off
GERS
Politicians and candidates for office
are greatly interested in this meeting,
as the uncertainty heretofore existing
with respect to what sort Of primary
the state is to have and itR date has
caused endless confusion and hesitaney
in the matter Of announcements
throughout the state.
The impression appears TO be that
the committee viii call a county unit
primary. although that IS by no means
a certainty. Several influential mem
bers are known to be decidedly in IA
vor Of another popular plurality pri-
mary, Notwithstanding the fact that
such primary does not appear to be
widely or generally approved.
The demand for a county unit pri-
mary is easily three to one as against
a popular plurality primary The
country counties-the so-called two
vote" counties-are sohdly for the
county unit plan The only opposition
particularly noticeable comes from
come candidates for judgships and
soiicdtorships, who maintain that, so
far as those offices are concerned. the
popular plurality idea should prevail.
It is doubtful whether the pressure
win be sufficient to exempt them from
the general order Of things, however.
Date Is OF Unusual interest.
The acute interest in the primary
has to do with the date upon which 1t
Will be called.
Under the law. It can not be called
more than sixty days before the gen
eraI election, which takes place this
wear on October 2. It may be called,
however, under that law, rs near the
date of the general election as the
state committee. in It's wisdom. may
decide to be best for party welfare
even so late as a week before, as
matter Of fact
The general rule in Georgia has been
10 call the primary approximately sixty
DAYS before the general election but
already it is assured that wide de-
parture from that custom viii be made
in this years call The primary will
hardly be called for a date more than
thirty days ahead of the general cleo
ton. and it may be much less than
that Guessing ranges all the way
from August Is to September 90 Only
todav's session will answer the riddle.
The idea appears to prevail that the
committee will incline TO call the pri-
mary as late as 1t possibly may, not
to subject itself to undue criticism
or harges Of rank favoritism or par
TALLY to any andidate now in the
running or scheduled to be
1t is frankly admitted that the pres
ent oommitte is a Hoke Smith COM
mittee, and 1t is expected to frame
such a primary as the Smith faction
would prefer and that would help, to
the extent it might the campaign of
the Smith factions candidate for the
governorship, if it is to have one. It
was known long ago that the commit
tee would not meet to call a primary
until after the Baltimore convention
had acted Had the Baltimore pow
WOW produced another candidate than
Wilson there likely would have been
no Smith faction candidate for the
governorship in the race this year. As
1t is. there probably will he,
Committee Faces Stiff Problem.
There are certain difficulties in call
ing the primary less than thirty days
ahead Of the general election. and the
committee may find itself more or less
embarrassed getting around them
There is statute which says that
election blanks shall be sent out by
the secretary of state to the ordi-
naries for distribution to the militia
districts not less than thirty DAYS
ahead of the general election. and on
the blanks the names of the candidates
have heretofore appeared Unless the
primary is held more than thirty days
ahead Of the general election. therefore
It is difficult To see how this statute
may be complied with The blanks
might be sent out without the candi-
dates names. the names to be sup
piled later. but it Is held that this
would seriously conflict with the IN
tent and purpose of the law, if it did
not actually violate it,
That problem is being wrestled with
by the master legal minds of the cim-
mittee today. however. and it is a safe
prediction that there VIII be found a
way around it, If any such way is 10 h.
found
So far, the avowed candidates for
the governorship are Joe Hill Hall. Of
Bib and John NJ Slaton, of Fulton.