The Newport plain talk. (Newport, Tenn.) 1909-1939, 1914-03-12
Need Of Direct Primaries Shown

adopted the system of direct pri-
maries for the nomination of candi-
dates for offices of all parties, it
would have been possible for j.
Parks Worley to have secured a
denomination by any party for Of
flee of state senator in the First
senatorial district, composed of
the counties of Sullivan and Haw-
kins? Or that the nomination of
j. Harry Swan would have been
so imminent that even John |.
Cox thought that he must in some
way be gotten out of the way and
secured his appointment for a
small federal job?
One of the next reforms to be
secured in Tennessee must be
carefully safeguarded direct COM
pulsory primary system which will
give us primaries held by all
parties on the same day and at a
proper period before the general
elections.
AS the facts leak out about the
nomination of Worley in the First
district, it being better realized
how broad the stretch of the imagi-
nation must be to assume that
those who met in Blountville real
ly represented any party. The
assumption of the seven tailors
of Tooley street" that they were
the people was not more arrogant.
1t is stated that there were only
fourteen present at the so-called
mass convention at Blountville.
But the fourteen were nearly a
unit. Of this number one only
was not on to the inside details of
the program, and when the reso-
lutions were read declaring for all
the reforms that Morley had vot-
ed against in the legislature and
coupling with its Endorsement of
Senator Shields, this misguided
individual got up and moved an
amendment that Senator LEAFS
name also be included in the reso-
luton of endorsements. This
caused much confusion among the
thirteen and there was consider,
able parleying with the chairman
by Hon. John |. Cox and others,
and so the gavel was brought in
to use and without giving the
amendment any chance at all be-
fore the convention, the resolu-
ton in its original form was de-
clared adopted. Senator Lea has
often played in good luck and this
refusal of the Morley convention
to endorse him may be placed
among the rarest instances of his
good fortune. Senator Shields
friends will be duly regretful. '
But back to the thought of di-
rect primaries. AS we stated, at
the outset, if Tennessee had done
its duty and re-enacted the law
after it was declared unconstitu-
tional, if all the democrats and re-
publicans, progressives populists,
socialists, national prohibitionists
and others were permitted to vote
their elective choices for nominal
tons upon the same day and at
the same place who believes that
the people of Sullivan and Haw-
kins counties would have stulti-
fled themselves by an improper
nomination? Unfortunately, how
ever, we have not the direct pri-
mary and, unfortunately, this
nomination of Morley is the first
made by any senatorial, floterial
or other district of a member of
the last legislature with a parti-
cularly bad record. Unfortunate
ly. in this case. is a proper word,
because thus the so called regu-
lars put their first foot forward in
the state and this has had much
to do with the Discrimination Of
many independents to look with
favor on a new alignment for the
coming campaign.
We have always contended that