The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-02-15
PRIMARY BILL IS
s @es BITTERLY FOUGHT
Byrd Bill, as It Passed House,
Provides That Electoral Boards
Shall Appoint-Move to Amend
So Committees Will
Nominate.


Just why any member of the SEN
ate objects to legalized primary is
not definitely known, but IL Isl GER
tainly true that a strong opposition
Is forming to defeat the Byrd pri-
amendments.
1t appears that members OF the
upper branch OF the General Assem-
bly, are unwilling to have the appoint
ment OF judges of election in pri-
maries taken entirely out of the hands
or the local county and city commit
tees,
The very foundation OF Mr..
Byrds bill, which has now passed
the House, is u provision which
requires the appointment of pri-
mary judges by the regular cleo
toral board; not by the local
committee.
In this part of the State. as Mr.
Byrd explained in his argument, and
in many other sections of Virginia
where the Republican Opposition ia
scarcely worth consideration, a pri-
mary nomination is equal to election
Fraud in the primary, therefore,
amounts to fraud in the general cleo
ton- But IL man commit fraud in
primary election he is not punished
as III he had committed fraud in a
general election. The recent Norfolk
county investigation will recall to
mind the difference.
Mr.. Byrd, however, in view Of the
important bearing of a primary upon
contests held under the laws of the
State. The general election is. of
course, already legalized. Mr. Byrd
would legalize the primary and make
all election laws applicable to it.
He does not charge that fraud is
being committed by the party com
mittees. He says that fraud has been
committed, however, and may be COM
mitted again. Consequently he would
remove the primary from under the
influence of the local committee, thus
removing the local personal equasion
from consideration.
Should the primary election Judges
be appointed by the General Electoral
Board and serve not only in the pri-
mary, but in the general election. he
believes, and his opinion is sustained
by the House leaders, that though
fraud may not be completely elimi-
mated as a possibility, il will be made
much more difficult, while those who
commit it, the primaries being legal
lied. can be punished by the author
tiles instead OF being whitewashed bN
their friends or accomplices.
IL il said, however, that mn
effort Will be made I'm the Senate.
IL IL be impossible to kill the bill.
TO so amend IL as TO require the
General Electoral Board TO an
point the primary judges from
list furnished by the local party
committees.
In other words-without mincing
matters-should any local committee
Wish crooks appointed to act as
Judges in a primary, II has only TO
send the General Electoral Board a
list containing the names of crooks
MY. IL matters not whom the board
zen appoints the ends OF the local
ommittee will be served.
Should the Senate amend the bill
as Indicated, concurrence of the
House will be neces sary. 1t is not
probable that the House will concur
without struggle. A conference
committee would probably be ap-
pointed TO bring about readjust-
ment. This in turn. may bring about
a deadlock.
Many already fear that this will
De so bitter that the Legislature,
VIII adjourn without enacting any
legislation really reforming the
primary system.