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
nittee will meet IN the senate chamber
II the capitol tomorrow AT noon fol the
purpose ~ prescribing regulations and
naming a date fol The forthcoming
general primary for state house ofi-
GERS
Politicians and candidates for office
are greatly interested in this meeting.
as the uncertainty heretofore existing
with respect to What sort Of primary
he state is to have and its date has
sused endless confusion and hesitaney
80 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 meansl
? certainty Several influential mem
bers aie 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-
marx is easily three TO one as against
a popular plurality primary The
country counties-the so-called two
vote" counties-are soNdly for the
county unit plan. The only opposition
particularly noticeable comes from
some candidates for judgships and
solicitorships. who maintain that so
IA Al those offices are concerned, the
popular plurality idea should prevail
II is doubtful whether the pressure
will 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 i
will be called.
Under the law it can not be called
more than sixty DAYS before the gen
eral election which takes place this
wear on October , It may be called, |
however under that law, as 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 A
matter OF fact
The general rule In Georgia has been
10 call the primary approximately sixty
DAYS before the general election, hut
already 1t is assured that wide de-
parture front that custom viii be made
in this years call The primary viii
hardly be called for date more than
thirty days ahead of the general cleo
ton. and II may he much less than
that Guessing ranges an the way
from August Is to September 20. Only |
todays session viii answer the riddle. |
The idea appears 10 prevail that the
committee win incline to call the pN-
mary as late as it possibly may, not
10 subject itself TO undue criticism |
or harges of rank faNoritism or par
tiality to any andidate now in the
running or scheduled to be.
Ii is frankly admitted that the pres
emf committe is Hohe Smith com
mittee, and 1t is expected to frame
such 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. il il is to have one II |
was known long ago that the commit
tee would not meet to cali a primary |
until after the Baltimore convention |
had acted Had the Baltimore pow
WOW produced another candidate than I
Wilson there likely would have beer
no Smith faction candidate for the |
governorship in the race this year As
it is there probably viii be
Committee Faces Stiff Problem.
There are certain difficulties in cali |
ing the primary ess than thirty days
ahead Of the genera election and the |
committee may find itself more or les,
embarrassed getting around them
There is statute which SAYS that
election blanks shall be sent OUT bl
the secretary of state to the ord-
naries for distribution to The militia
districts, not less than thirty dan.
ahead OF the general election. and on
the blanks the names of the candidates (
have heretofore appeared Unless the I
primary is held more than thirty days /
ahead of the genera election therefor,
II is difficult to see how TINS statute |
may be complied with The blank
might be sent cut without the candi.
oates names, the names ta be sun
pded later but II is held that this |
would seriously conflict With the inn
tent and purpose of the law il fl did /
not actually violate IT
That problem lis being wrestlen with /
by tine master legal minds of the elm
mlttee today however and ii is a safe /
prediction that there viii be found
way around 1t, Il any such way rs to II
found
SO far the avowed candidates n.
the norship are Joe Hnl Han 1T
Bibh, aud John " Slator. of tultou