The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-01-28
WANTS EDITORS
V|EWS0N PRIMARY
State Committee Would Like to
Hear What Newspaper Men
Think of Plan.
NEW LAW MAY BE DESIRED
Agitation of Question May
Bring Results-Franklin
County Acts Early.

Ncwspaper men of Virginia will
be asked for their opinions, editorial
preferred. on tho Democratic party
primary plan as revised last week Dy
the subcommittee of the DemocEatlc
state Committee Secretary J. n
Brenaman is sending TO editors copies
of the plan, with the request for ex-
animation and suggestions in advance
of the meeting of the full com mittee
on February -, when il will be present
ed for fnal action.
Comment along this line will also
be useful perhaps. in starting discus
sions of primaries in general, and the
Rvrd -Featherston law and the party
plan in particular. with view to guild
ing the next Legislature. IL may re-
suit in education along this line, and
in securing expressions of opinion from
candidates for the House OF Delegates
in this years campaign AT least
Chairman j. Taylor Eilyson wouio hKe
to know what the newspaper men
think about it.
matter of fact, the changes made
in tho plan by the subcommittee are
ANYTHING but radical. The sole func-
ton OF this body was to revise ~ so
as to conform with the new statute law
THAT enactment changed procedure
in several important particulars pnt
the committee can. make few modln-
cations.
The most important feature Is the
retantion of the word white" in pre-
scribing the qualifications of voters IN
Democratic primaries Ihls word was
in the old party plan, as adopted In
1904 but, perhaps necessarily, 1t does
NOT appear in the Byrd Featherston
law. Probably its insertion in that act
would have been unconstitutional AS
a result of the omission. some negroes
only a very fcw-voted in some of the
congressional primaries OF last sum mer-
1t was held to be clearly WITHIN the
rights of the constituted authority of
the party TO put further restrictions
around the primary franchise not men
toned in the law, so the word white.
was retained.
Can Be Added To.
Arguing before the Democratic state
Committee in the Turnbull-W Watson
contest. Speaker Byrd said that the act
described who should not vote. and that
any party accepting its provisions could
extend the restrictions If 1t so desired
Aside from the payment of entrance
fees in primaries to State or city or
county treasurers, as the case may De,
and the payment of the cost OF pri-
maries out of the public funds, the
changes made are not extensive The
new law provides, as did the old party
plan that judges of election are to be
selected by the local party commit
tees. Primaries must be held not less
than sixty nor more than ninety days
before the general election. which
means that the primary OF this year
for the nomination of d Governor and
ali other State elective Offices must be
held between August and September g.
Franklin Ahead of Game.
In Franklin County a primary for
the nomination of a candidate for the
House of Delegates has already been
called for March. 1t is quite probable
that the right of the county committee
to do this Will be challenged on two
grounds-frst. that the new law says
if a nomination is made by primary, 1t
must be in accordance with the act,
which has the sixty and ninety-day
period requirement: second. that the
Constitution is being violated IN that
it will be impossible in March to ascer-
tain who will be legal voters in the No
vember election. since the poll tax lists
for that event will not close until May
Whether or not a new law on the
subject can be secured from the next
Legislature is believed to depend
largely OH agitation of the subject
Wherefore. the editors are asked 10
say what they think