The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1915-05-14

ambitions of any politician.
The primary law should throw
around the primary every safeguard
that is by existing law thrown around
the general election. The payment OF
poll taxes should be prerequisite to
voting in the primary and where the
registration and secret ballot law ap-
ply in general elections they shoul
also apply in the primaries.
The primary law should be general,
Its provisions should apply to every
political Office in the state. Members
of the congress of the United States,
legislators, governor, railroad COM
missioner and county officers should
all come within the provisions of the
law, all being voted for upon the
same day. The officers for the prima-
ry should be appointed by the sew
eral county committees. with the ex-
press and mandatory provision that
they shall be selected from lists pre-.
pared and furnished by the several
candidates.
1t will be fatal to the democratic
party if primary law is passed that
makes distinctions, that applies to
one Office and does not apply to an
other. 1t will be productive of strife
and maybe revolution If the proposed
law should invest the appointment OF
the election officers in central board
at Nashville. This was one of the
rocks upon which the democratic
party split and was rent assunder in
the Patterson regime. The democrats
Of Tennessee protested and revolted
against a plan that denied the great
fundamental of democracy, home
rule.
The county committees are chosen
by the democratic voters Of the sew
eral civil districts Of the state. They
are genuinely representative of their
respective sections. They will not
dare to do among their neighbors
what an INSCRIPTIONS and alien
board located at Nashville might at
tempt.
The provision Of the proposed act
that would legislate out Of office all
the existing county committees and
provide for an election for their sue
cessors is utterly indefensible. No
good reason whatever can be assign
ed for ruthlessly destroying the gov
erning agencies Of the democratic
party Nor should the primary law
provide any particular rule govern
ing the membership Of the local com
mittees. That should be matter en-
tirely for the several counties. II /;
county, like Maury and Davidson, pre-
fers that the voting strength Of It'll
county committees should be baset
on the voting strength of the severa
: districts, no change should be made
On the other hand in majority O
the counties every member Of thu
committee is the equal in voting pow
, er with every other member W.
must not get too far away from thu
{ democratic principles of local self
, government. Too great a concentra
ton of power at Nashville will be de
/, structive of real democracy.
The primary law should be pattern
ed upon the general law in that tn
T candidates for Office, state and cour
;. ty, who receive the highest numbe
|. of votes, should be the nominees
O This state is now suffering from to-
!. many elections. The people are no
I greatly concerned about the majorit
/. feature: they are tired of constant pc
litical turmoil and the run off" with
r out any benefits will simply add t
Z the expense and confusion always al
y tendant upon our elections,