The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-14
kIN8 FRIENDS FIND

to meet in session before this IL don.
the probabilities are that tho commit.
tee would be kept In session for q
week or more. which in itsel,
amounts to a considerable expense. I,
Is now proposed to authorize Secre-
tary Brenaman to open the returns in
the presence OF representatives Of in
terested candidates. tabulate. them and
write to the missing precincts to for
ward their returns and then canvas
these. after which the committee will
be called together.
1t Is pointed out that this method
is pursued by the secretary of the
board. which receives returns. opens
them as they come in, tabuIates them
and presents them to the State board
when that body meets. II any dis
crepancies are apparent they can be
rectihced very easily by referring
them to the precincts for verif1cation.
II this method should be adopted,
and 1t only remains for Acting Chair
man Eehols, of Staunton, to authorize
1t to put II into effect, Colonel Brena-
man could get to work Immediately
and within short while be ready
for a calling together Of the State
committee. A corps Of clerks would
be necessary. as Is always the case,
several adding machines would be
brought into service and the bushels
OF returns now in the office of the
secretary could be disposed of In
short order and the missing precincts
sent for and counted Also
No Hope For Lynchburg.
Lynchburg is making an effort to
secure the meeting OF the State COM
mfttee. but 1t Is not thought that the
members will be willing to go there.
All OF the returns and papers are
In Richmond with the secretary and
should the meeting be called else
where 1t will necessitate him making
up several trunks full of papers and
transferring them TO the place of
meeting. In addition " this the
clerks who usually act for the COM
mittee live in Richmond and should
the meeting be held elsewhere these
clerks would have to be taken or
new clerks secured at the new place
OF meeting. This would not be easy
and 1t is expected that the committee
will recognize this and keep the meet
Ing place in Richmond.
In the meantime Colonel Brena-
man continues to worry. The old
primary law required the returns to
be sent in from each city and county
chairman. Under this system the sec
rotary could tell just when he had
all Of the returns. Under the Byrd
bill the precinct judges are required
to send in the count from each pre-
cinct Where before there were 1I9
city and county chairmen to be heard
N trh tIn tn
turns there are now about fifteen hun
bred.
Secretary Brenaman has received
about half this number of envelopes
and he Is awaiting instructions. 1t
is expected that now Acting Chair
man Echols will authorize him to
proceed with the tabulation and II
this is done the secretary's oubles
Will soon be over.
Confusion Exists.
AS pointed out by The Virginian the
other day. considerable confusion OBJ
tains IN some sections of the State re-
garding the matter of the returns from
the primary.
The old election law provided that
the judges should certify the returns
to the county and city chairmen and
they in turn should pass them on to
the State central committee to be cam
yassed. The Byrd primary law stip-
uiates that the returns shall be certi-
fed direct to the chairman OF the
central committee by the Judges OF
election. AT least. that Is the inter-
probation put upon II by the State
and Secretary Brenaman
has accepted that Interpretation as
of course.
This is the language OF section 20
of the new primary law bearing on
that question;
The vote at all primaries shall be
counted by the judges of
election and certified to the county or
city chairman of the respective par
ties holding the primary. and in the
case of the election of representatives
to congress be certified to the chair