The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-03-04
Tells Senate Proper Law
Will End Talk of Ma
chine Rule.
PEOPLE DEMAND
HONEST BALLOT
Senate Begins Work on Primary
Bill, and Adopts Three Amend
rnents Without Final Action.
Debate Resolves Into
Thrce-Cornercd
Fight.


day through n maze Of amendments to
tho primary bill. most OF them directed
TO proposed changes In tho provisions
for holding elections. Save for one
two minor exceptions, every amend
mont offered by A senator not 4 mem
bcr OF tho Conmittee on Privileges ana
Elections was voted down.
The adoption OF three important
amendments sums up tho net result OF
moro than three hours Of continuous
discussion OF the primary bin at the
morning and afternoon scssions. These
are:
An amendment introduced by Senator
Rison. providing that no person do
sirlng to run for Congress or for any
state office shall bc listed as Il can
didate on the Official ballot until IL
petition for his candidacy shall first
have been signed by 250 voters OF the
state and placed In the hands Of the
appropriate party committee. The per
soma who shall circulate these petit
lions. the amendment requires, shall in
submitting them attest To the genuine
ness OF the signatures by their personal
anidhvits In tho cage OF candidates
FOR county and city Offices or for tho
Legislature the signatures Of only Hfty
voters are required
Special Primary Judges.
An amendment introduced by Sen
;.tcr SoWdcr, which provi6cs that the
local electoral boards Of the two par
ties in the state shall appoint thrcs
judges from each party TO conduct the
primary elections in which they par
ticipatc. one OF the Judges 20 APP
pointed, II is provided, shall act a,
clerk.
An amendment offered by senator
hlcntaguc changing The section which
provinces that plurality of the votes
east shall be sufficient 10 declare n per
son the iionincc OF his party. 80 az 10
give local committees that desire IL the
riEht to FIX majority OF the votes
east IN the primary as the number re-
luircd for nomination.
Tn: changes Just enumerated were
tho only ones Of consequence incor-
porated In the hill as reported from tho
Privileges ana Elections Committee The
adoption of the Sowder amendment, Se-
hating TO the manner of holding pri-
niarics. defeated Senator G:avatt,s
amendment, for which IL was offered "a .
? substitute. which proposed to make
the Judges or election the Judges of tie
primary.
Abolish Entrance Fee.
In Offering tho amendment providing
.or nominating petitions. Senator Rison
explained tnat III III We're adopted lie
would later offer au amendment strik-
ing from the bill the section which re-
quires candidates to pay an entrance.
fcc OF per cent Of the nrst year's
salary OF the office to which the. aspire
Vhc entrance fee feature, lie said. has
been widely criticized. and the plan
=" suoSlilute ior III the nominating
petition plan was intended to remove
.hs objection.
Senator Paul sent la tho desk as a
substitute for Senator Rison's nomina-
lion scheme, an amendment outlining
Il plan for the filing OF nomination pa
pcra, which were TO he signed iv n
certain number OF qualified voters
varying in number from per cent to
10 per cent of the total registration.
The Rlson plan, hc contendcd. let down
N i1nt. fn-
candidate would experience the slight
est difficulty III securing hfty sigma
tureS--or zoe in the case of candidates
for State Offices or Congress. The Paul
amendment. however, was rejected. and
senator Rison's plan adopted instead.
Three-Cornercd Fight
The debate resolved itself carly I'm
the uay into a three-cornered fight be-
tween senator Gravatt ON the one side
and Chairman Holt. of the Committee
on Privileges and Elections. ami SEN
ator Rison, Of the same committee, on
tae other. Senator Gravatt, who was
the patron OF II rival primary bin in
toduced early In the session, but never
reported, sent continuous stream OF
amendments 10 the desk. ali of them,
without exception. falling prey to the
senate majority that voted with tho
Privileges ana Elections Committee
At o'clock In tile afternoon. when
tile Senate adjourned for the day. IL
had failed to dispose of the amendment
that was adopted on Friday which re-
quires all primaries to be held on the
same day throughout the state and
names specific days for holding the pri-
inaries for the fan general elections
and the July elections of the cities aud
towns
When the bill was taken UP at 1880
O'Clock as special order. Senator
Rison renewed his request that the
Senate pass by for the present the mo-
tion made by him on Monday to re-
consider the vote by which the amend
mcnt fixing the time FOR uniform pri-
inaries was adopted. Senator Gravatt
opposed further delay on the issue. ana
called attention to the fact that SEN
ator Holt himself accepted the amend
ment when 1T was offered hy him on
Friday. He wanted to know if Sen
ator Holt was prepared to repudiate
his action
Not n Rcpudiation.
II do not rcpudiate my acceptance
OF the amendment" replied Senator
Holt. "Sincc It's adoption by the Senate
several considerations have appeared
which mako 1t advisable that we defer
final action on this matter until wc
have had chance TO look at il in
tho light of other provisions of this
bill"
Senator Gravatt replied with the
statement that he was by no means
satisfied with the explanation given
by the Senator from Newpcrt News
The action of the Senate OH Friday in
fixing definite timc for holding pri-
mary elections throughout tho State
he said. brought a thrill of JOY to the
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