The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1885-10-28
AgW vorgRs II tssLANa
stafssiy More iatsiussat TAaa TAsIr oal:
tis-FrosI.Ioa. Of the LAw,
iChleaso IImesl

iChieasO Iinesl
A good many thousand names arc
about 70 be added to the tjiers Of lug,
land under the IieW traRehise act, a ma.
,ority Of which Is made up II agficul,
tural lal,orers and small tenant fai,nefs.
Both parties are making every effort 10
engage tho votes Of the new element,
and to this end every portion OF the
county Is being visited By political
agents liberilr reports from their note
books are published BY newspaper fep,
resentatlyes who are looking up tie
new voters and questioning them as to
what they know o. the now order OF
things, and what they expect to gain BY
it.
A peruSal Of the newspaper reports
foryes the conclnsioit that thu new voters
among the agriuulturists are NO more
intelligent than their 6wd cattle. rev
Of them have the remoteSt idea as TO
what Is intended by giving u them thB
rigat 70 vote, ndnetrly allot them afe
In great apprehension IS to what may
be tho eject upon their relations with
their landlords Il they venture 10 vote
sYiihoutcolsllting their wishes Under
thg rule, the ballot Is absolutely q seefet
one. = 'isas.
According to the provisions Of the
law, a voter Is given a ballot I,y tho 10.
turning oscor, 0 government o hcial,
on which arc printed the names Of the
opposing candidates. This ballot has
un Official stamp, and no other one cnn
be used. There Is a compartment into
which the voter takes his ballot, where
be marks cross opposite the name Of
tho person he wishes to vote for, and
then folds 1t so as to conceal the mark
and drops it into q sealed ballot.bOx.
Tho contents Of all the boxes OF poll.
ing division are mixed together before
being counted, sothat anything like the
detection Of the person who put in a
certain vote Is an impo&ibility.
Despite these precautions. the new
voters are very much alarmed, for sucl
are the relations between the small ten
ants and their Landlords that the former
look on the latter as having absolute
control Of their destiny, more Os.
pecially the power 10 turn them OIL the
farms which thOy have been occupying.
The new voters are not at all certain
that the right TO vote is going to be OF
much use to them, especially as It may
bring them into ronaiGt with their land.
lords.
tno Of the new element said: 81
beant able to see how this yir voting Il
do much good for We" lie thought
them parliament might help us about
ground game, which Is about as much
as We might ask on en-" The ground
game concerning which something
might be done has reference to the for.
bidding Of the killing Of hAres and rab.
bits These animals cause an enormous
loss to the farmers by their destruction
Of crops, and yot they dare not kill
them. LAW allows II, but land.
lorls don't" was the remark Of a
farmer on this point, coupled with
the information that an effort to pro.
serve his crops by killing the pests was
liable to 10 followed ly q six months
notice to yacate the land.
The condition Of tho classes enfran.
chiscd by the late acts Is something in.
eomprChensi 10 in tho density Of its
ignorance as to the use and value Of the
franchise. Few Of them soc any end to
be attained by the possession OF tho bal.
lot; a mi. .Ority Is afraid to use 1t, and
5till Others regard 1t as a dangerous,
new.tanslOd thing tliat had best 10 lot
alone.