The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-04-27
FLORIDA MAY NOT BE
REPRESENTEU AT THE Ma
IIUNAL CONVENTION

The possibility that Florida will
have no representation at the Ma
tional democratic convention, owing
to the fact that the votes may not
be counted in time allow the sue
cessful candidates tC get to st. Louis,
is voiced in the following COMMAND
cation from John T. G.. Crawford
to the Jacksonville Metropolis:
In response to your request that
4 write you a statement embodying
such suggestions as | think 1t my
duty to make to the Democratic
State, County and Congressional Ex-
ecutive committee and to the State
officers having to do with the con-
duct of the Democratic primary, in
reference to ascertaining the result
of the primary election and issuing
credentials to delegates to the Ma
tional Democratic convention to be
held in St. Louis on the l4th of next
June next, | beg leave to submit the
following observations:
The primary is to be held Tues
day the 9th day of June, leaving
only six clear days, excluding Sun
day, intervening between the conclu-
sion of the primary and the conven-
ing of the National convention in
St. Louis. If you will refer to the
files of the Metropolis you will find
that at the primary in 1912 the bal
lot in some wards of the city of
Jacksonville was not finally counted
until the third day after the prim-
airy. At that time we did not have
second choice voting, which neces-
sarily has the effect of increasin 6
the length of time required to count
the ballot.
SO far as / know, no provision has
yet been made by the secretary of
State or any of the committees to
secure earlier returns from the pri-
mary, and obviously, if no provision
Is made for securing earlier returns
the St. Louis convention will be a
thing of the past before it will be
officially known in Florida who were
elected delegates to attend to 1t
Under recent amendment to the
primary law no second choice voting
is necessary for delegates, which
which means that the result Of the
primary is settled by pluralities
that is, as to the State at large, the
four candidates for delegate having
| the highest number of votes being
elected, and as to the congressional
districts the two candidates havin!
the highest number of votes being
elected, and as to the congressiona
districts the two candidates havin.
the highest number of votes bein,
elected.
This difficult situation can be me
in only one way, so far as l hav
been able to find, and that is by hav
ing sent out, either by the secretar
of State or by the proper eXecutiy
committee, to each precinct in tn
State, special form of return to tn
proper canvassing board, which re
ily do
forwarded by mail, the night of tn
primary. 1t might, in the larger pre-
cincts, be necessary to count the vot
for delegates, before counting any
thing else, but that would not be to
much trouble to undertake. By han
ding the matter in this way the re
suit could easily be known by Sat
urday following the primary and al
ford ample time for the delegates t
be in St. Louis fully a day befor
the convention is convened, wh!c
on account Of the difficulty of secur
ing hotel accommodations. is ex
tremely desirable.
With reference to hotel accommo
dations, l take this opportunity Q
advising not only those who expec
to go to St. Louis as delegates blu
also those who expect to go as spec
tators from Florida, that | have re
served at the Hotel Marquette twelv
rooms, each with private bath, an
each to be furnished to accommodate
three people if desired, at the rat
of $40 per day per room. 1t will b
impossible for me to hold thes
rooms longer than the morning pre-
ceding the day the convention opens
Yours very truly,
JOHN I. G.. CRAWFORD,
Democratic National Committeeman
for Florida.
TopAY'S BIRTHDAY HONoRS