Arizona republican., 1922-01-10
AIM.
To BURY THE AXE.
|NREORGAN|Z|NG..
PARTY METHODS.
War Horses Make Attempt
To Get Together; Name
Of C. w. P. Hunt Is Not
Mentioned by Delegates

vising ways and means OF Keeping
.ome Of the members of the Demo-
cratic party Of this state from be-
coming candidates for office and thus
causing dissatisfaction and such ia
tai congestions as have afflicted the
party for the last four years, a large
number of members of the state CEN
trail committee and various county
c'.nmittees came together yesterday
morning.
During the meeting the delegates
refrained studiously from any men
ton of G.. w. p Hunt, although there
was a marked disposition on the part
f some to give him plaudits by res
olution or otherwise, to which they
thought he was justly entitled. Moth
ing, howeve", came of this desire.
Announcement was made that the
meeting was in the interest Of har-
mony and that there is that state
ment nothing controverting what is
set forth In the preceding paragraph
s to the purpose of the assembly.
There was a large attendance at
the meeting. Every county was rep
resented and many of them numer-
ously so. Cochise, for instance, was
Is members All shades OF Demo-
Gratis were there, and only once in
the course of the day was there
hint that there had ever been more
than one shade.
Sounds Keynote
The meeting was called to order by
State Chairman McCalla in Odd Fell
ows hall in the morning and after
the appointment of a committee on
credentials, expressions of views were
invited. The keynote was sounded
by Hon. w. T. Smith of Maricopa
county, who lamented the evil plight
into which the primary system had
thrown the Democratic party, had
elevated the minority to power and
bowed down the state under a weight
of taxation.
That was the beginning OF two
shifts of speech making. covering the
rest Of the forenoon and the after
noon. Among the speakers CT the
morning were Charlie Roberts OF Co
chise and several others. The most
effective speech OF the morning ses-
sion, measured by immediate results,
was that of National Committeeman
w. l.. Barnun At the conclusion
of his address one of the delegates
went out into the ante-room and had
fit. Another address was that of
Mrs. Mckinney of Tucson, one of the
three national committee women Of
the United States, owing their places
of equality to the action OF the ma
tional Democratic convention at San
Francisco.
Nearly all Of the speeches OF both
sessions related to means of 'evading
the spirit OF the primary, and there
seemed but one way by which It
might be accomplished. That was
by empowering conference" Ga less
Objectionable word than "conven-
Fion"). to meet some time in advance
of the date of the primary to agree
upon ticket of candidates for the
various offices, thus wedding out. or
to use phrase quite common among
cotton growers, "roguing'' superfluous
candidates, to the end that the vote
OF the candidates left standing might
be larger, just as in 'rouged" cotton
fields, the surviving plants attain a
more luxuriant growth.
Approve Conference"
There was very little opposition,
| and none direct, to the proposition
for such conference. In the course
of the afternoon, former Chief Justice
| Cunningham, member of the con-
stitutional convention, offered ques-
| ton to the effect of the application
of strong arm" methods to aspiring
| candidates. But the other speakers
either avoided the subject or en-
| dorsed the proposition.
The afternoon session began at 2
| O'Clock. Previous to the presenta-
ton of the report of the credentials
| committee, Chairman MCalla said he
! had prepared a list of speakers rep
resenting all parts Of the state and
suggested that inasmuch as there
We're many of them. the remarks be
made as brief as possible.
| The first speaker was Cleve. w.
! Van Dyke OF Miami who traced the
| lack of harmony in the party to the
! operation of the primary law. He
! had previous experience with 1t in
! Minnesota where 1t worked with the
same effect upon the Democratic
! party in that state. He believed that
| stronger candidates could be evolved
| by calm consideration of the merits
| Of those seeking nominations. And
! once selected, he believed that the
| Democratic uarty could get behind
| them with greater enthusiasm.
| One of the evils, said Mr.. Van Dkye,
| Of the present system was the man
| ner Of formulating party principles.
The people were deprived of all part
in that important function. 1t rested
with the candidates. who having Sc
cured their nominations. enacted a
platform which might attract votes,
| but which did not necessarily set out
| the wishes of the people.
Urges More Care
Jack Sparks of Cochise was of the
opinion that if efficiency was the
thing aimed at, and it should be, 1t
would be more surely attained by a
more careful selection OF standard
bearers.
Sheriff w. p. Mahoney Of Mohave
offered a pledge that 80 per cent Of
| the registered vote of his county
! would be Democratic. He did not
/ however, pledge that 80 per cent OF
the vote cast at the general election
would be Democratic, though he held
4 ont y hope that that would be the
case if good candidates were NOM
mated.
when the name of Colonel John c.
Greenway was called, there was loud
applause which Colonel Greeneway
said he recognized as a welcome OF
the returning prOdigal. Twenty
three wears ago, he said, he had be-
come n follower of Theodore Roose-
vet his memory of whom was un.
dimmed and his admiration for
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