The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1912-03-14

ed the primary plan Wnlcn the lnue-
pendents have ciamored for all these
days. 1t took the original plan, with
the recommendations ofSneed, Thomp-
son and Ewing, and added the rec
concentrations to it. 1t sought to in
duce the independents TO agree to the
old plan, but, as on former occasions,
Vertrees pulled back, and tonight the
independents told him that he came
too late.
Primary May Is.
The primary of The, regulars will be
held on May 25, instead of April q, as
heretofore planned. 1t will have the
| independent members Of the commit
tee, if they can be found, and Maj
Vertrees said of the prospects tonight:
We will poll the biggest vote ever
polled in a primary. The people Of
the state are already harmonized and
they are all going into the primary.
They will see that we offered the in
dependents just what they have asked
for, and they have declined it. We
have nothing further to say to them,
for the people are with us regardless
of the action of the committee.
The independents tonight voted for
a state convention for May 15, or on a
date as near that as possible, for Il e
purpose of eIecting delegates to tie
national convention, nominating ju-
dicial candidates for the supreme court
and the court of civil appeals. The
gubernatorial and railroad commiss-
ioner nominations will go over.
There were suggestions today that
this action meant that Gov. Hooper
would have the support of the inde-
pendents b A. Enloe said tonight
that it was too early to estimate the
result of the action of the committee.
He said that he was confident that the
people of the state would uphold the
independents in their desire and at
tempts to reach harmonious agree
ment.
There were disSentions in both COM
mittees 1t is expected that desertions
from both ranks will be the outcome.
Some of the Patterson regulars and
some of the stronget Independents
have been comforting tonight with the
view of harmony between these fact
ions.
Say Action Farcial.
Gov. Patterson was not a party 10
any of the conferences, and declined
to make any statement. Tt is believed
that he, like great many Others, re-
CARDS the action of both committees
today as farcial and without the
slightest expectation of obtaining re-
suits.
Maj. Vertrees said this morning that
the independents would be given the
original primary plan with the changes
which their board of three had sug-
gested He said that was all they
would get. 1t was on this question
that the real test of strength came. j.
D. G. Morton, the Patterson leader,
claimed to have majority of the COM
mittee. He urged that the conference
be instructed to not only
agree to the original plan, but consider
any other proposition and TO be au- .
thorized to make proposition. Mr.. :
Vertrees said this committee should
present the primary plan and be de-
void of power of authority to agree to ,
recommend any other plan, and he
won on roll call by majority of II :
,o8.
The reg liars were strangely reclu- /,
,iva III their deliberations. Every ,
,ae W Is excluded from the room and g
,he professional sergeant-at-arms, Lon
lie Arms, was appointed to his accus- +
,omed place ]. Parks Worley thought :
hat an executive session was the
proper method of treating the matter
and he was seconded by jeff Hunt, of
Madison. !,
But those on the outside heard
through the transom the fight that r. +.
B. Hickey, as the representative of ,
Senator Taylor, made, and that of
Austin Peay, Patterson's champion, ,
and others. 1t was meeting on
which the balance Of power depended
On siagle vote at times, and Maj. ,
Vertrees and Eugene WINS, the secre !,