The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-09-10

-u1o LuSCHC 30 4eSAAiStA nSs
Mr.. Eugene S. Blease said Mr.. Nc
SWANS motion brought the same
question up. He said that what was
the proper thing to do, next Tuesday
had puzzled him considerably. 81
have thought over the matter great
DEAL" he said, "since the meeting of
the State executive committee on We'd
nesday. I happened to represent New
berry county at the meeting of the
State committee One of the members
of that committee moved, or made the
suggestion, even if it was not formal
motion-my recollection is it was a
formal motion-that all the primaries
in the several counties of the State
fixed for next Tuesday be postponed
until another day to be fixed later
The chairman ruled that suggestion
out of order on the ground that the
holding of the second election was
left, so far as the county ticket was
concerned, to the discretion of the
county executive committee, that the
State committee had no power to or
der that election on or to order it post
poned, that the State committee SIM
ply had power as to ordering the elec-
ton for the State ticket, and that COM
mittee ordered that election off, The
ruling of the chair, without any ap-
peal from that decision, left the coun-
ty primaries with each county COM
mittee. The State chairman ruled that
the county committee had the right
to postpone this election. Now, if
the ruling of the State chairman is
correct-and I presume We have to
bow to his ruling in that matter-the
right of this committee to order off
that election is fixed, just as the right
of the State committee to order off the
election for State officers is fixed for
them. The State chairman used these
words; that the law and the constitu-
tion and rules of the Democratic par
ty at no time contemplated an impos-
sibility, that these matters set out in
the constitution were fixed in order to
have some guide, but that the State
committee, so far as the State ticket
was concerned, and the county COM
mittee, so, far as the county ticket
was concerned, had power to disar-
range those things under certain nee
essary conditions which might arise"
Mr.. Blease said the reasons, as he
saw them, for putting off the county
primary, were, briefly: First, that
there was the absolute necessity of
a second primary for attorney
general, and Newberry counttl
would have to hold that elec-
ton some time between now and the
general election, and if the committee
went ahead with Tuesdays election
it meant at least two more elections
in Newberry county, with all the man
ayers serving twice, bringing in the
boxes, taking them out, and with the
executive committee tabulating re-
turns in two elections.
Another phase of the matter, said
Mr.. Blease, which presented itself to
his mind,,was that the contest of Mr..
Jones charges fraud and irregularity
at every precinct in Newberry county.
"The State committee has held that
that committee has a right, without
any protest of anybody, without the
filing of any contest, to examine into
the vote at every precinct in this
State-without protest, mind. you
and to make thorough examination
of conditions and happenings at every
precinct in the State, and if they come
to the conclusion that there was such
fraud as would affect the result Of the
election, to cast that election aside
and order another election. That is
what the State committee is now pro-
posing to do-to make that eXamina-
ton. 1t may be that the State COM
mittee will decide that not only, so
far as the race for attorney general
is concerned, there must be another
election, but they may go on and de-
eide that for every office on the State
ticket, from United States senator on
down through the office of railroad
commissioner that they will order
another election-another election for
the whole thing.
Moreover, in our district Mr..
60,