Americus times-recorder., 1920-03-30
VOLUNTEERS TO
SERVE WITHOUT
PAY in PRIMARY
Stephen Pace Starts
Movement To Obviate
Local Situation

That Sumter county may not be
denied part in the Georgia pres
idential primary because of lack of
funds in the hands of the county
executive committee for the employ
ment of election officials, Stephen
Pace, representative from this coun-
ty in the legislature, has written Fred
B. Arthur, secretary of the county
executive committee volunteering his
services in the holding of primary
and suggesting that other citizens
will be glad to do likewise.
This was one development today
in the elsituation which mas come about
Threatening to deprive Sumter of q
part IN the primary. Another de-
veloprnent was the report from At
lanta that in case no way is found
to hold the primary delegates to the
state convention will be appointed
for Sumter county.
MIR. PAGES Letter.
Following is Mr.. PAGES letter.
'Mr. Fred B. Arthur,
Secretary Sumter County Executive
Committee,
Americas, Ga.
my Dear Sir:-I note that your
committee is without funds to pay
the expenses of holding the Presi-
dential preference primary in this
county on April goth, and that, foI
this reason, there is probability
that no such primary will be held in
Sumter county.
Originally favored an uninstruct-
ed delegation from Georgia to the
National Convention, the entire
membership of which to be true
Southern Democrats; and / am now
the here convinced that this course
would be best, due to the scramble
into which matters have gotten.
However, the State Executive
committee has directed the holding
of a preference primary, and if {
primary is held in Georgia | thinl
the voice of Sumter county should
be heard. | therefore tender yol
my services, free of charge, on the
day of the primary in such capacit,
as you may see fit to use me; anC
feel confident sufficient number o.
other citizens of the county will b.
glad to do likewise, in order to in
sure Sumter county having a voic,
in the selection of Democrat,
nominee for president of the United
States. Sincerely
STEPHEN PACE" :
The Alternative.
That delegates to the state con
vention, following the presidential
primary of April 20, will be appoint
ed from Sumter county, if no way i
found to hold the primary here wa
indicated in a dispatch from Atlant;
today from the Macon Telegraph
correspondent. The message fol
lows:
Atlanta, March O.-Informatiol
from Sumter county is that there i
possibility, if not probability, tha
there will be no presidential prefer
ence primary in that county. 1t i
stated that County Chairman Arthu
has notified Secretary Hiram L
Gardner, of the state committee, tha
no funds are available in the count,
to defray The expenses of a primar,
in that county, and unless the stat,
committee can furnish the funds, NJ
vote will be had in Sumter, inasmucl
as the county primary for local of
fees already has been held.
This identical contingency cam,
up for serious discussion when tn,
state executive committee met AM
arranged for the preferential pri
mary. The fact was brought gu
then that the state committee hao
no funds, and there was no way il
which funds could be raised for ;
preferential primary since no assess
ments were to be levied against can
didates in the primary. To NEE
this contingency the state COMMITTEES
sent out a general call to all coun
ties in the state to arrange theil
local county primaries for the 20tl
of April, in order that the two might
conform and the matter of expens,
thereby be taken care of. That re
quest was formed so as to suggest tc
counties in which local primary date;
had been fixed to rearrange the loca
date.
at was foreseen then that some
counties in the state possibly would
not be able to arrange that conform
ity, and to insure against any coun
ty being unrepresented in the con.
vention which is to be held in At
lanta, rule was adopted which pro
vides that, in event of any county
in the state not holding a preferential
primary, the chairman of the state
committee shall appoint delegates
from that county to the convention
such delegates to be" selected from
among the friends and supporters OF
the candidate in the primary receiv
ing the largest county unit vote il
the state as a whole.
Sumter, therefore, may have hel
delegates appointed for her, as vii
any other county which fails to holC
a primary on the twentieth"