Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-10-15
WOULD VOTE FOR WISE
D|SBAR FROM PRIMARY?
indircct Statements Indicate Posi-.
bic Attitude OF City Committee
In Future Elections.
/ WISE DEFENDS HIS DEMOCRACY
Says Committee Has Attempted to
kead Out of Party All Who Fail
to Bow to Its Observation-Disclosures
Effort VIII Prove Failure.

statements cmanating from . mem
Der OF the City Democratic Committee
20 the erect that Democrats who vote
for George L. Wise for Common
| wcalth's Attorney in the November
erection would be barred from partici-
patinE In the city primary next spring
aroused additional interest i'm the race
between Mr.. Wise and Il. Cray Haddon,
whom the committee has nominated
Tor commemorative Attorney.
Friends Of Mr.. Wise declare that tho
. committees action was without au-
thority under the state or party law
under the circumstances. ana that any
attempt on the part of the committee
himself characterized as a threat"
would not avail The grounds cited
! for the so-called disfranchisement is
that Mr.. Wise disqualified himself AS
| Democrat by- refusini; to.aslz, .ho com
! mittcc for the nomination
1t was pointed ont that no candidate
| In the primary next spring to nominate
candidates for Mayor. members Of the
+ Council. and Aldermen would challenge
voter who might be suspected OF
/ having supported Mr.. Wise. At the
| same time no one viii know how "A bal
! lot IS marked and consequently there
| would be no basis for Il challenge
! NO OPINION HAS nEEN ASKED
FROM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
| No member of the City Committee
| could be found last night who would
| be quoted on the proposition Of barring
! Wises friends from the primary. The
| committee has taken no action on the
| matter and the vigorous minority who
opposed nomination by tn. body IS
| understood TO be unalterably against
any further action. which, they assert
would be prcjudical 10 Mr.. Haddon's
candidacy and to the party in general
! The City Committee asked for no
. legal opinion on its right 10 name
candidate and none has been given by
! Acknowledgement Pollard. Mr.. Pollard
| last night declined TO discuss the pow
1 cGs OF the committee or its authority
/ TO bar voters from the spring primary
! who might support Mr.. Wise. until an
! opinion should be officially requested
OF him
| Il do not want any one TO get the
/ impression that ! am angry or in the
/ least disturbed by these rawlings" said
] My. Wise yesterday afternoon, when
asked regarding the statements pub
I lished In the afternoon papers as TO
{ the reDuted attitude OF members of the
I city Committee toward d!squalifying
! his friends from participation IN future
. primaries
Ordinarily I would be surprised at
amy ono making such an absurd sue-
gcstion. hut the dominant faction in
the city Committee having deliberately
undertaken 10 dictate to the voters Of
! port for commonwealth Attorney, I
could hardly bc surprised at The threat
/ OF members OF the committee to dis
. franchise all voters who dare TO ex-
c-c!S" the rights OF freemcn and to
throw off III" yoke Of partisan political
! domination.
so far as the yelled intima ton that
/ am not Democrat is concerned 7
wish TO say that have lived in Rich
mond thirty-thrcc years. and never in
all that time has there been the slight
est suggestion or doubt from any source
that was not only Democrat. bu,
a consistent Democrat prefer that
/ tho Democratic voters Of Richmond
shall pass upon my democracy and
their own, rather than the controlling
/ faction in the city Committee, which
undertook TO invite me TO attend nv
own funeral and act as my own pail
I bearer.
The threatened attempt TO read out
of the Democratic party all voters who
I have the manhood to refuse 10 be die
tated TO. VIII. in my opinion, prove a
/ failure The real offenders against
{ dem ocracy are the members OF the com
mittcc who so far forgot the principles
! for which their party stands as TO
attempt TO drive out OF the party those
who refuse 70 wear the yoke. Under
, the prctcXt OF protecting the party's
interests, they have sought 10 put one
! Democrat above another. instead OF
holding the balances evenly between
brother Democrats"