, 1866-06-15
wALLULA coRRRsfoNDENcE.
" wALIuLA, June ls, 1866.

Ed. STATESMAN In my last gave you some
] items on our Registry law. will continue the
subject in this, and will endeavor to show the
impracticabflity of auy Registry law in sparsely
settled, new Territories. That such a law; with
us is not ouly useless, but extremely oppressivei
l think, is clear to every thinking mind, and has
only been engrafted upon our statutes BY our
solons in their endeaYor to keep step with their
eastern political school masters. Let US look
for a moment at the workings Of this registry
law in the cOuntyof WallA WAlla. Suppose
man has been living in this county for the
last three years, with his place Of residence in
PatAha precinct, and that be has been registered
in that preeinct-liVing, perhaps, several miles
from Post Office facilities, and don't get his pa
per once in two weeks, and don't even know
when election day cones-happens to be at Wal
lula, where he has come for his goods, Wsllula
being the only depot on the Columbia river for
goods destined inland for Walla WAlla county.
Now, according to our registry law, he could
not vote at the Wallula precinct, but must ride
distance of IS miles to his proper precinct to
rssSy to swear sRqERgAh ~ vel! s in here and
for three years anu tudb uAb houuO 40
the Pata6a precinct but all Of no avail, he must
u0it u and travel 65 miles to deposit his vote ]
Ifa man had to do this in the State OF Rhode
Island he would get out of the State, and II q
nreciuct could not be established nearer to this
, man place of residence, no other way the Gov
ernor would call an extra session OF the Legls-
lature. and have the thing donej but we poor
devils Hbeing out of humanity's reach" must
f not only exhaust our patience, but our horse
flesh, in our vain endeaVor to ape the manners
of enlightened New England.
Ialluded in my last, to the Importance under
this act, of having the right Kind of man to fill
the Assessors office; and in this | was entirely
correct; and am glad to see that that office in
. Walla Walls county has been filed by our last
? election with the proper man. The California
Legislature last winter passed registry law,
and although from the reading it seems to be
plau enough still there is much of it, it seems
e that some Of the wiser heads, in San Francisco
+ can't properly connect its various parts, not even
the Board Of Supervisors fSan Francisco coun-
ty; so they called meeting, and had the man
who framed the law Horace Hawes) brought
n before them, TO explain 10 them what he meant
= what the Legislature, that passed the law,
p meant by it. 1t appears, from Mr.. HaweS ex
PLANTATION, that the law contemplates one Great
&c Register ard numerous and sundry little regis
l. ters The great one is taken by the clerk of the
e court, for all time to do this all persons living
10 the county have to appear personally before
IL him. and he, or his deputy, sits as judge, on
n the right of the applicant, and decides pro oil
1T con- The little registers are made up by the
assessors and returned TO the clerk When the
assessor finds that all the citizens in his distric
70 are enrolled on the great register, he copies
es from that and so closes his roll. But even with
ss the addition Of this great register the Legsla
ture gives the citizens till July, 1867, to get the
. names properly registered. We, under our law
aho dav Or lpsss
1t took Mr.. HaRes some time to get what little
explanation through him he made, for he did no
"A seem clearly to understand its ''literal' work
ngs-his bill being the work of theory. S.
ne much time consumed, that in answer t
u some Of the last questions asked him. be reerre
W. the Hon. Board to sec. No. l02-l03 and IO5, an
to "the citizens Hand Book" 1t see ems, froI
ng the muddle the affair of Registration is in, tina
re- some enterprising cuss has slready published
-, | book on the subj ject
"a 90 1t seems to me that the idea of drawing sin
. pie registry law out to 200 or 800 long sections
is ridiculous, and to so cucumber it with words
that none can understand it, not even those wh
It. made it, is absurd.
nv alluded, in my last, to the duties devolveC
~ by the registry law, on the assessor, and hO
'"' easy it was for him to enfTanchise or disfrar
wv chisc whom he pleased. I will now give yo
at some of the workings of registration in Sa
Francisco, as portrayed by the Morning Call:
1.-THE Hawes bill Ky or the registry law,
BY creating no little dissatisfaction amongst Il
Nv citizens. Yesterday, several gentlemen, 'nativ
- and to the manner born, called upon Mr. Whet
en ton, when a conversation somewhat as follov
IN ensued:
snt Citzen-'1 have called to have my name rej
!. istered.'
~ Assessor-I do not know you'
Citizen-'I am -, and a native of Il
ere United States
.he AssessOr-1 can't help that do not kno
IN that you are
Citizen-I am willing to swear that / Wi
born in the United States
the Assessor-'That won't do; you must have wi
ave nesses-your own oath is of no value
a. Ctizen-'Do you mean to say that am to
ue disfranchised because I have no one to pro-
1ld that was born in American
Assessor-'No; if you will get witnesses
inn prove that you reputed to be native bo
=" citizen, it will satisfy me-.
lHS Chizeu-'The question has never been ask
beforei consequently can obtain no witness
Z a as to repute
-, Asselsor-'Then, Sir, you will have to 10
'"e your vote. The law is plain; have no 9th
to course. If l was personally acquainted wi
ure you, could enroll you, but being stranger
-. me, you are disfranchised'
If this don't show rich state of society in Il
on great metropolis of the Pacific, with all the
md ponderous registry law, and the maker there
to explain, and "Citizens' Hand Book to e
ap- tighten them, then don't know anything. ..
81 CUMTUx.
OF -
of1 CoNNEEDABLE ESTERPRIsE.-We look up
18th the completion of the Central ditch of the Vi
, of ginia Water Company as one of the most il
portant events that has happened in this neig
lor- borhood, since Alder GGlch was first struc
will To Mr.. Jas. McEvily are the thanks of our ci
zens due for demonstrating in a practical ma
ner the richness Of the mountain slopes whi
stretch for miles in one vast auriferods b.
iuli along Alder Gulch, and for supplying the or
-on' means that could make them available 7
j. are glad to say that the spirited indivddaf W
has, unaided by our moneyed men, CARR
. through the arduous and expensive operation
"o' " conducting unfailing supply of 700 inches
tiee water from the Highland lakes and Wigw,
sv;, 81.