Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-02-03
preferential VOTE
FOR DEMOCRATIC
NOMINEES IS URGED

In connection with the meeting Of
the Democratic state executive COM,
n1ittee to be held in. Atlanta next
Friday, February 6, for the purpose
of determining what method SHAH
prevail in determining GeorgIa's
choice for the Democratic presiden.
tial nomination, J. II. Mills, presi-
dent OF the Farmers Union Of Geor-
gia, on Saturday issued statement
urging the ACCESSIBILITY OF prefer
entail primary!
Mr.. Mills has recently made
very extensive tour of the state and
is satisfied the Democrats of 3eOr-
gia desire an opportunity of regis
tering their choice for the DEMOCRAT
ic nominee for president.
The statement of Mr.. Mills doubt
less will be read with interest all
over the state, as there has been
Euch speculation as to whether the
executive committee would decide tc
have preferential primary or
would leave the instruction of Geor-
gia's delegation in the hands of d
state convention.
Method of Holding Primary
In the event the committee should
decide in favor of a preferential
primary, which many believe they
will, the method of procedure would
be substantially as follows:
A date would be named which
might Or might not be the date when
county primaries are to be held;
presidential nominee tickets would be
printed, and on them would appear
the names of candidates whose
names have been filed with the sec
rotary of the state committee as
aspirants for the Democratic nomi.
nation; the voters would vote for
whichever candidate they preferred,
Or (unleSs there was contrary
rule) for some Democrat other than
those listed; after the primary, dele
gates would be named in each coun-
ty from among the supporters of
the successful candidate in that
county; these delegates would form a
state convention which would elect
Georgia's delegation to the San Fran
cisco convention, and would send
the delegation with instructions to.
cast Georgia'S vote for the one re-
ceiving the majority county unit vote
in he preferential primary. "
Georgia's last preferential primary
was held in 1912, when Woodrow
Wilson and Oscar Underwood were
the candidates contesting in this
state, and Underwood carried ! the
primary. In 1916 there was no pri-
mary because President Wilson was
unopposed for the Democratic nomi-
nation. ~. .'t,
Procedure Without Primary.
In case no preferential primary is
held, the procedure to be followed
il registering Georgia's choice for
The Democratic presidential nomi-
nation would be substantially as fol-
lows:
The state executive committee
would request the county executive
committees to name delegates to a
state convention; these delegates
would gather and elect delegation
to represent Georgia at San Fran
cisco; the. delegation might be in
structed for a particular candidate,
or might be sent without instruc-
tons, in which event the delegation
would make it's own decision, after
arriving in San Francisco, which
candidate to support. 50
The difference, therefore,, between
the two different methods Of pro-
cedure, is just this, that in the, case
of preferential primary the Demo-
Gratis of Georgia register their own
choice for the Democratic nominee,
while in the absence of a primary
they have their choice determined for
them either by state convention
or by the delegation that COS =, to
San Francisco. Georgia's representa-
| ton in the national convention at
| San Francisco will be equivalent to
| two for each congressman and SEN
ator from this state-or a total of
twenty eight votes.
The state executive committee viii
meet at 10 o'clock next Friday morn
ing in the convention hail of the
Kimban house in Atlanta I.4aa
| MIR. Mills Statement
The statement issued by Mr.. Mills
in which he urges preferential pri-
mary is as follows:
eight years ago the Democratic
national committee, responding to
public sentiment throughout the
country, passed formal resolutions
making it Illegal and improper to
| send delegates to Democratic ma
tional conventions, or to, choose ma
tional committeeman, without a
! preferential primary throughout 4the
states. At that time there Were
many active candidates for the Dem
ocratic presidential nomination 'ss in
the person of Woodrow Wilson, Os.
car Underwood, Champ Clark an6
others. -Four years later the nation
al committee, in view of the fact
that President Wilson was seekine
a denomination without opposition
permitted it's own rule to lapse
without formal action, and prefer.
entail primaries were. not held
"Nevertheless, it is the esta blish
ed rule of the Democratic party ant
the correct rule, that national com
mitteemen, who voice the sentimen
of their respective states for fou
years, should be selected by popula
vote Of their constituents, and tina
the expression of the party choice
for presidential nomination should b.
obtained through preferential pri
maries. The rule in most Demo
cratic states is about as follows
Men seeking the position of nationa
committeeman duHOuICe themselves
or their friends announce them, a
candidates; their names are place.
upon the ballot; the voter indicate
his preference by striking out thos
for whom he does not wish to vote
Democra tic delegations to the nation
al convention are selected about a
follows: Wherever from one to so
registered voters present the nam
of a candidate FOR the Democrat
nomination, and pay the ENTRANCE fe
lrannlired by, the. state executive com