The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1912-06-20
WAS THIS a TRICK AT ATLANTA
CONVENTION?

AdAtd at tAS convention, ana 6SDG-
cially since your unwarranted arrest,
to express my sympathy in your per-
Secutlon. | have no doubt, however,
but this, like other assaults upon
you, will only@ rebound to your own
glory. Relative to the occurrences
at the late convention in Atlanta,
desire to mention fact which l
have failed to notice any account OF
either in your own or any of the
daily papers. It is this: On the
morning OF the convention I, with
other delegates, had about reached
the opera house where the meeting
was to be held, when We were met
by large number Of people-how
many Of them were delegates don't
know-who We're announcing to ev-
erybody they saw that the meeting
had been adjourned to the audi
tOrium. I saw streams of peopIe
coming out Of the opera house and
going in the direction of the audi
torium. | told several Of the dele
gates from our county what had
been told us, and we jourpeyed over
to the auditorium and found therein
seated in the hall several hundred
people, many OF whom I know were
delegates. We waited there some
minutes and saw that none Of the
real leaders Of the convention had
come to the auditorium and then
suspected that some trick had been
played on US. The announcement to
us had been that the crowd was
found SO large that it was necessary
to go to larger hall, which seemed
reasonable enough. Having discov-
cred that we had been lured away
from the meeting, We then made our
way back to the opera house through
a driving rain, getting soaking wet
Reaching the opera house, succeed
ed IN pushing my way into the back
Of the building where | could hear
something that was going on, but /
never got seat in the convention,
and doubt if the other delegates
from our county did. The parties
that had packed the opera house /
know were not near all delegates,
but they would not give way to the
real delegates and were the loudest
IN causing disturbance and in trying
TO outYote you or hiss you down. /
have never understood why the pa
perS made no mention of this large
number of the delegates which were
rushed over to the auditorium by
this false announcement, unless it
was to save the feeling of US country
delegates. It seems to me that in
meeting like this, where important
business of the country is to be
transacted, that a system of admis-
sion could easily be devised whereby
the delegates could be assured seats
by an admission card before the
crowds are admitted to all the seats.
Will the delegates to Baltimore have
to take such chances to get a seat in
the convention there?
Another thing, believe the dele
gates to such conventions ought to
be elected by the people in the pri-
mary rather than appointed by
committee, or perhaps the selection
of one man. Don't you see how
easily such power could be used by
an anti Watson man to pack the
county delegates against you?
Haven't you suspected that this was
done in many instances in the last
convention?
Excuse such q lengthy letter I
enclose herewith a humorous article
from your old-time friend, Major
Blance, and also a clipping from the
Rockmart Courier-News. With kind
est regards, Very truly yours,
A GEORGIAN.
Cedartown, Ga.