Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-06-04
CONTENTION FAILED TO NAME
A CONGRESSIONAL NOMINEE.
Adjourned After Days Session to
Hold Primary in all Counties of
District on August 10.

spairing and purse-depleted delegates
were about ready to adopt any course
of action that would send them home,
the Tenth district convention this af-
ternoon at the end of the 471st ballot
! welcomed the resolution of Judge H
B. Stevens providing district-wide
primary August Is between the can
didates, and in the event no candidate
receives majority, for a second pri-
mary ten days later in which only the
two who led in the preceding primary
should be entered These resolutions
had been drafted by Judge Merrimon
in conference with Judge Stevens and
General T. F. Davidson, and on pre-
sentation to the candidates had not
been opposed.
/ Robert r. Reynolds and Congress-
man J. M. Gudger, Jr., will certainly
be candidates. Mr.. Moore and Judge
Merrimon have the matter of entering
the race under consideration. It is
generally assumed that Mr.. Harrison
will not enter.
The afternoon session began with a
motion to nominate Chairman Adams
as compromise and though the chair
man laughingly refused to put the
motion he was forced to make talk
in which he said he could not take
the job if it were rendered unani-
mously.
Then came Judge Stevens motion
and lot of debate about details and
then some acrimonious talk by rival
delegates fearful that their men might
lose some advantage in the selection
of an executive committee. Then here
was a delay while the committee was
out. It's unanimous report by Chair
man Stevens would have been at once
adopted but for the raising of the
question by James H. Caine as to who
should bear the expenses of the pri-
maries, and the necessity of reforming
it, when it was pointed out that the
wording of the county unit plan would
give a county's entire vote to the man
who received only majority of it.
The committee amendment covering
| this point was again subject to scru-
| tiny and most animated discussion
| followed. Some wanted a district pri-
mary in which the district should be
the unit; that is to say the candidate
receiving the majority of votes cast
throughout the district to be declared
the nominee; regardless of the plan
of organization which apportions del
| egates to a candidate according to his
strength in the various counties. The
Gudger forces, for the most part, in
Guiding Mr.. Gudger himself, who be-
came an interested spectator from the
stage, favored the county unit plan
as it had existed heretofore, while the
Reynolds forces contended for the
popular vote until G.. Spears Reynolds
suggested compromise by accepting
the county unit rule and providing for
the opening of the polls from sunrise
to sunset.
The question of the expenses of the
congressional primary was considered
by Judge Stvens' committee in the
revised resolutions, it being decided
that the expenses should be pro-rated
among all the candidates entering the
primary. In the case of a SECOND pri-
mary the two candidates shall divide
the cost thereof.
Remarkable Fight.
Thus ended the most remarkable
congressional convention in the his
tory of the state; remarkable in that
it was the longest and yet the most
harmonious of any where close con-
tests were held. The, real fight, of
course, centered around James NJ
Gudger, Jr., veteran campaigner and
present congressman who sought en-
dorsemet from his district, and Robert
r. Reynolds, young man of unusual
energy practically new in the game of
politics, ad making the race ION his
own hook, as he expressed it. That
Bob Reynolds should have prevent
ed the nomination of Mr.. Gudger was
unexpected by the Oldest politician.
It was a history making convention.
incidentally the district-wide primary
which has been ordered will be the
first of that nature ever held in this
disrtict; the first opportunity wherein
the people of the enire district have
been allowed to vote directly for the
congressional candidates. Many right
" believe that the death-knell of the
nominating convention has been
sounded
The convention was called to order
Friday afternoon at o'clock by