Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-04-24
BLACKBURN SAYS
MAJORITY WILL
RULE CONVENTION

That the Georgia presidential con-
vention to be held in Atlanta on May
IS will be controlled by a majority
of it's members, and not by the mi
nority Of Palmer delegates, was re-
iterated Friday by Benjamin NJ.
Blackburn, spokesman in Atlanta for
Thomas e. Watson.
1--WE are not at all worried by the
rule of the state executive committee
providing that the delegation to San
| Francisco shall be selected from the
supporters OF the candidate receiving
The highest county unit vote" said
Mr.. Blackburn.
ut makes no difference whether
the principle of majority control is
given a general or specific application
by those expressing opinions in the
newspapers. It's application in this
particular case will be very specific.
1--WE have the utmost confidence In
the intelligence and integrity of the
chairman of the state executive conl-
mittee, Hon. James ]. Flynt, who will
cali the convention to. order. We
know he is not going to lend himself
to any outra geously undemocratlc
proposition as giving control of a
convention to a minority of Its mem
bers.> He will call the convention to
order. Then the convention, by
majority vote, will elect a temporary
chairman The temporary chairman
will appoint committee on creden-
tials. who will seat the delegates.
Rules of procedure then will be
adopted by a majority vote. From
first to last the convention will be
controlled by a majority of it's MEM
bers, not by minority:
. The Complete Returns
Complete returns have been re-
ceived from all Georgia counties with
one exception-the county Of Quit
man.. These returns show that: =: !,
A. Mitchell Palmer carried So coun-
ties with unite vote of IA and a.
popular. vote of 1904.
Hoke Sruith carried As counties
with a unit vote Of ITO and popu-
lar vote Of 1894 - o.
Thomas E. Watson carried SIS
counties with unit vote of $50 and
a popular vote of 52.129.
The total. popular vote was las, 761,
and the margin of difference between
the popular vote OF Mr.. Watson, who
ran first in popular vote, and that OF
Senator Smith. who ran third in pop
ular vote was. onl.' 1927. -.
Thus. the election was one of the
closest ever held in Georgia. All
three candidates ran approximately
together Each one approximately
divided the state into three equal
parts I'M counties carried and in
p0puiar vote, The Palmer lead In
county unit .yotee is due to his car
tying fvc of the six counties having
six convention votes. That is to say,
he carried Floyd, Fulton, Bibb, Rich
mond and Chatham. The other six
vote county, Muscogee, was carried
by Senator Smith.
hA6GlCle N" buS 06bt1O&4OuAu
In the great controversy over the
League of Nations, Article K has
beer the battle-ground, the bone OF
contention, the rock on which the
angry waves Of conflicting opinion
have dashed themselves.
So in the Georgia presidential con-
vention it appears that Article y"
tod l%xr ho IA
executive committee is to be the
battle-ground. This rule provides:
"The delegates to the national con-
vention shall be chosen from the
friends and supporters of that cand;-,
date for president receiving the
highest county unit vote"
This is the rule which the
claim was put forward by the Palmer
forces that they should control the.
convention and name all the dele
gates to San Francisco. It is the rule
called Illegal by Benjamin M.
Blackburn, who takes the position
that the state executive committee,
being merely the servant of con-
vention, can make no rule which
binds the sovereign. In addition to
his remarks above quoted. Mr.. Black
burn called attention Friday to
certain paragraph appearing, in an
editorial Thursday morning in the
Macon Telegraph to-wit:
I'm SO far as Tuesdays balloting
is concerned. that has not brought
definite and conclusive answer on
the issue the people exercised their
Judgment upon: and, unfortunately,
leaves to convention it's final de-
termination"
Commenting on this editorial con-
ment, Mr.. Blackburn said:
THE TelegrapIs editorial was evil
| IDENTIFY written and set up in type
| before it received from it's Atlanta
| correspondent the inspired news
| story in which the Palmer forces
| claimed the right to control the con-
vention under rule 10. Their claim
was put forward simultaneously in
the news columns of the Telegraph
and the Atlanta Constitution. But
| the Constitution remarked in its
news story Wednesday, the morning
| after. the election was held, that the
final conclusion would go to the con-
| vention."
Rule Is Much Discussed
| State wide discussion has been
| started by the claim of the Palmer
leaders to the right of controlling
the convention. Judge James j.
F'lynt, chairman of the state execu-
tive committee, reiterated Friday his
comment made to The Journal on
Thursday-that it would be asurd
to contend that minority of -conven-
ton delegates shall. control the &C
ton Of a convention"
Judge Flynt stated that a meeting
Of the subcommittee on rules of the
state executive committee will be
! l. 4 - p,