The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-10-01
hridged, except for disloyalty, representa-
on in Congress should be proportionately
Rnt tho Eiffaanth armand m oy1f

teenth amendment In part imperative. No,
abridge may extend to Republican Rhode
Island, which maintains Know Nothing dis
elimination against the right of foreign born
citizens to vote, but does not apply to the
South, where the colored mans right to vote
is as free as the air.
No, sir. Your trouble is that the colored
amongst the foul party" and led by Peter
Downing and c. 8. Smith. the colored
who are their friends; that as in is4s, when
you were young Whig and young Demo-
crat, the Democracy of Ohio gave them the
pealed the Black laws, and in 1884 gave them
fun civil rights, the Democracy of Ohio is
the party to tie to.
Gently transpired in Tennessee gives the lie
to your attempt to excite sectional ami
mostly against our brethren in the South.
In Tennessee there is Republican party of
white men as well as black, but is a party
whose life, according to its record, depends
inercfaI Gazette, the organ Of your party,
has felicltated it's readers upon the
enactment of registration law last win
BY Legislature, more than three-ffths of
whose members in the Senate were Demo.
Gratis. and whose majority in the House was
see the frauds of your party upon the ballot
box waxed so great that the Democratic par
ty determined, for the protection of the pur.
ity of the ballot, to adopt registration law.
There had been municipal registration law
in force, but 1t was confined to the city of
tha as tn in yers ss heaaed fSs &
votes; within, few weeks thereafter, when
the State and National elections came of, in
city dying contiguous to Georgia and Alaba-
MAJ, voting in district of the same territorial
limits as in the municipal election, cast 400
This statement quote from recent letter
Of Governor VIM. B. Bate. of Tennessee:
This increased vote was in the interest of
ing Recommendation by Governor Bate in
bis annual message of January L., 1885:
THE sentiment which has been growing in
ring election, and which now seems to almost
universally pervade all political parties, is
that there should be more effective laws to
prevent illegal voting, especially in our large
"The elective franchise is not only polti-
ar as @
insure full effect in preventing the legal bal
lots from being neutralized by illegal ones.
lot privilege is weakened whenever Illegally
is practiced in its exercise. That such is no
unfrequent occurrence is evidenced by the
returns of many of our elections.
"Good government can alone be secured
through virtuous and wholesome laws, and
under our institutions, where the ballot Is
flcient legal protection to insure its exercise
fairly and Justly. 1t is almost impossible
to avoid the abuse of this right. Most States
to insure a free, Just and fair ballot at cleo
tions, require all voters to be registered
dent to exercising the ballot privilege. This
obtains in most States, and as understand
its history in every State where 1t has been
Of its efficiency. 1 suggest, therefore, that
you enact such laws as will, without abridg.
i2g It, throw - more ore % sfiic,ent guards % ground
In pursuance Of this recommendation q
registration bill was introduced into the Leg
i.lature Of Tennessee. hold it in my hand.
IN All Districts
one thousand voters, the qualified voters
shall be registered before exercising the
effecting this, the county courts Shall select
two registrars of voters from each voting
precinct, provided that both of said regis
political party" Perfectly fair, you see, Mr..
Senator, and free from partisan bias. Books
and pc
first registration is to be made thirty days
before the first election, and registration is
to be made before a % each !. biennial PM & election; pct %
registrars by notices posted in at least
three public places, or by advertisement
inton for at ieast ten dsys Preceding
the date for opening the registration.
The registration office is to be kept
a. m to p. m, and from to 10 p. m. for ave
days and nights during the period of registra-
ton. The names of the voters are to be
the age and color of the applicant, the dis
trict. ward, road or street. and the number
of the house in which he lives. or If not
numbered, then q designation of its location,
the time of his residence in that voting pre-
cinct. and the various places in which he
may for the last twelve months have voted
or boarded, and the registrars are required
to keep suitable books in which his state.
ments or answers may be entered: They are
then to be sworn to by the applicant. The
registrars are required to prepare an alpha.
betical list of the voters of each district,
have same printed and copy posted for
public Inspection, and d. they hey are re permitted permit
the registration to correct any errors of a
clerical nature, and required to furnish 9
one is allowed to vote whose name does moi
appear on the completed registration list.
This is the substance of the act, which
after careful examination, believe to be
one of the fairest and most honest registra-
tration laws ever prepared in the United
States; certainly, quite as fair as that passed
in Ohio with so much eclat last winter. But
what happened when this came before the
Legislature of Tennessee? 1t passed the
House and passed two readings In the Sen
ate, but unfortunately the Constitution OF
Tennessee provides that two-thirds of the
| members of each House are necessary to
| constitute a quorum-the same old mischiev
up the Legislature in 1s4a: in order to pre-
vent the passage of the Legrand- Byingtor
ddesdi deesservediy punished ID BY defeat at the polls
that fall. When this registration bill
came on for its last reading il
| found to be without quorum. The Repub
| lican Senators Except two had secretet
themselves in a room in the Maxwell Hous'
arrest of the Senators was ordered at once
| so as to obtain a quorum but they locked
| themselves in their room and it was deemed
| 11nrr, fr,h h,.no l. n Inn md
remained locked up in the hotel at Nashville
| until the Senate was forced to adjourn sim
die. By this act of fillibustering in the inte
| rest of fraud and false voting, not only wa
| the passage of the registration law defeated
| but several other important measures wer
appropriation ann % ii bills, which left the state with
| out the means of paying its OBLIGATIONS
Thereupon Governor Bate called the Legis
reasons for the call being the necessity o
| passing laws, as stated in these words of tn
Governors proclamation:
| ITO preserve the purity of elections an
prevent illegal voting in cities, towns, tax
ing districts, municipal corporations an
civil districts having voting population o
| one thousand Or more, without in any wa
impairing the right to the elective franchise
or limiting the just and legal exercise there
of, by the enactment of just, impa' tial an
well-guarded registration law, or by othe
methods allowable under the Constitution
| CART. 4. section II, to secure the freedom o
and the purity thS of the ssson
25, 1855, Governor Bate submitted messag
containing the following passage:
"Reg:stration laws are in successful ope
alton in very many States, in some havin
particular application to certain municip,
corporations therein located, and ever,
where they stand approved by the best cit
Zenship. irrespective of parties and c.as
distinctions. In this State such law
needed, as evidenced by recent general ele
tions, in many sections. Not SO much I
guarantee free ballot to every bona fid
voter, for that right and its exercis
are nowhere and in no respect in leopard
within the limits of Tennessee. but especial
! to protect the ballot box from spoliatio
through so-called ''repeaters" and Otht
fraudulent voters. The enactment of gel
eral law, just and impartial in its provision
reaching districts having dense population
where Identification of Individual voters
uncertain and of difficult determination, wi
} tend to suppress illegal voting, and preser,
the elective franchise in its purity. No eli
zen who esteems the BALLOT to be the highe
and most sacred expression of freeman
will, can rightfully question the wisdom al
advisability of such legislation.
Registration will not abridge nor make vo
| the franchise of any voter. but be a barrie
| ha For