Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1873-11-14
bort Gobacco Qin,es
PORT TOBACCO:
Friday Morning, November. ....14, 1873.


Registration.
DOUBTLESS the object in passing the
law relating to the registration ofvoters
was wise one, namely, the prevention
of fraud, and when properly admins
tered, by upright and intelligent men,
it will go very far towards accomplish
ing this purpose. But, like all human
institutions, it is imperfect, and in the
hands of corrupt partizans, as in Phil
adelphia, it is made cloak and cover
for fraud, and has probably done more
to promote illegal voting than any
scheme heretofore devised. Under the
old system, and before the adoption of
the plan ofregistration, bad men would,
bydisguising themselves, by going from
precinct to precinct, and through the
instrumentality of false oaths and 9TH
er means, best known to themselves,
vote frequently, and almost always es-
cape with impunity. But still the
legal voter, when he presented himself
at the polls, was nearly always allowed
to vote, though his vote had been made
Ineffective by illegal votes on the other
side. Now, when no man can vote
who has not been registered, it not un-
frequently happens that when man
of high standing and who has been
duly registered presents himself to vote
he is informed by the judges that he
has already voted. He may protest as
much as he pleases and offer the most
overwhelming proof; it is all futile, be-
cause some one of the rascally "repeat-
ers," as they are called, has already
voted in his name, and he is obliged to
go home a disappointed man. Nor is
this all. These INSCRIPTIONS regis
trars take the City Directory and copy
from it hundreds. of names and add
them to the list of registered voters in
each district, and these repeaters, be-
ing furnished with a list of these names
thus falsely registered, unblushingly
approach the polls and vote in these
fictitious names, in the interest of the
party which has paid them. Thus, not
only is the legal voter deprived of his
franchise, but hundreds and thous-
ands of illegal votes are put into the
ballot box. This is no exaggerated
picture But these facts were actual
ly proven before the Legislature of
Pennsylvania to have, taken place in
Philadelphia, and Col. Mcclure, who
nped as defeated, and his OPP
bonent as elected, was given his seat
in the Senate. And the same thing is
said to have been done at the last cleo
ton, on the 4th inst, when Mr.. Mackey,
the "Addition, Division and Silence"
candidate for Treasurer, was defeated
throughout the State and only saved
by the vote of Philadelphia.
These things are not likely to occur
in q sparsely settled community like
OURS, and where the Officers of Regis
tration and Judges of Election are up
right and conscientious men, and we
only mention the facts to show how
easily the registration law can be made
the instrument of fraud. All this
shows the necessity of most careful
and prudent laws on this subject, and
of strict construction of the same by
both Registrars and Judges of Elec-
ton. The law should, whilst guard
ing with jealousy the rights of every
qualified voter, be equally careful to
prevent fraud. In both of these re-
spects our present law is defective
Our space will not permit us to say
more now, hnt at some future time we
may resume the subject, and point out
the most prominent Of these defects,
in the hope that the incoming Legis-
lature will apply the proper remedies.