The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-08-14
PUZZLED BY NEW
PRIMARY LAW
Suggested That Secretary Open
and Tabulate Returns Before
State Committee Meets.
MEANS SEVERAL DAYS WORK
Party Authorities No Nearer to
Awarding Certificates Than on
Day After Primary.

Can the chairman and secretary of
the state Democratic Committee open
and tabulate the returns of the recent
State Democratic primary in the pres
ence OF representatives of the candi-
dates, but without having a quorum
Of the State Committee present? OF
course. the State Committee has TO
meet TO award the certificates Of nomi-
nation to the winners. but under the
new system by which each precinct is
sending it's returns direct to the State
Committee II Will probably take sew
crai days TO canvass the returns. and
II is doubted If Il quorum OF tho State
Committee could be held together so
long Also there will bc no way Of
telling when all the returns have been
received. and were the committee to
he called and begin it's work. il might
be necessary TO adjourn while mes
scngcrs went after the returns from
belatcd missing precincts. The qucs-
ton OF how the returns Of the recent
primary are to he tabulated is pro
vokng much discussion at the Capitol.
many leaning TO the plan followed by
the State Board Of CanvaSsers after
each general election. when the re-
turns are sent TO the Office of the Sccre-
,ary or the comm onwealth, and opened
ana tabuihted before the board meets
officially to sisue the certificates Of
election.
New Law PuzzIing.
with something like a wagon load
OF primary returns under seal in a
Eault At the state Capitol. Secretary
). y Brenaman. OF the State Demo
cratic committee. admits that the new
primary law has him puzzled MIR
"rehhnan has been in correspondence
win Acting State Chairman Edward
i.rhols and has conferred with Assist,
any Attorney-Gcncral Il. T. Davis as
20 methods of procedure. but said yes
tetday that no definite date had been
SCI Tor a meeting OF the committee
nor had i, boon detcrinihed how The
work or compiling the results should
he conducted
In former state primaries the ruI.
mas been FOR the local election officers
IN inc various counties and cities ~
report to meeting OF the County or
ny Democratic Committee. which
pouE In turn cauvaSsed the loca. 20
turns and certified the total FOL, ~,
county or city TO the State Domocr,,ic
COMMITTEES In the recent primary this
procedure was followed in Richmond
and IN large number OF counties II,
inc senatorial primary two years ago
ana IN the governorship primary four
years ago this plan was strictly fol
loved and the State Committee had
To consider ouly the reports OF 100
counties and eighteen cities. Canvass
Ing the returns merely meant openino,
J IL envelopes and reading the totals
from IN" certificates to operators OF
adding machines, the whole session
OF tho State Committee two wears aro
having been a littlc more than three
hours
Reports From Separate Precincts.
IN" BNrd primary law. amended and
doctorcd by the last General Assembly
until It's patron himself says he hardly
recognizes the fragments has an am
biguous phrase generally construed 10
require precinct Judges TO certify re-
turns direct to the State Committees
instead OF having lis certificates 10
present 10 the State Committee. Sec
r"tar% Brcnaman figures that no Will
have 100 To @,00Q-one FOR every pre-
cinct IN tho state About $50 cnveloDcs
have already como in and as they are
under seal and bear no outside marks.
u i impossible 20 toll which arc here
and which are missing. nor how many
precinct returns ono cncvolpc may con
tain. Figuring on tho basis OF time
consumed heretofore. Mr.. Brcna,Nan
thinks II would take at least thirty
hours continuous work to open the
precincts returns ana tabulatc the re-
suits. this without counting the time
taken in sorting The local returns BY
counties. and the not improbable de-
LAYS Of waitin. for missing preci7cts
the number and location Of which
cannot be asccrta!ncd until the en-
velopes have been opened and thar
contents compared with tho list 81 pre-
Cincts In the State.
This would mean session o. four
or I'VE days Cor the com mittee, with a
probable adjournment 10 some later
date. and a the members come here
at their own expense. doubts are ex-
pressed as to the certainty u quo
rum at the adjourned meeting.
1t was sugG estAi AZ the Capitol yes
terday that with the consent OF the
candidates. Chairman Echols might ap-
point n committee to come here and
,abulate the returns, secure reports
from the missing precincts. and when
all was N readiness call the state