The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-07
SMILEY'S NEW OFFICE
Splendidly Equipped for Rapid
and Easy Work.
A Serious Question Now Raised Concerning
the Right Of Naturalized Citizens
to Register.

Registration is now in full blast, and the
election will be repeated between this and
the 4th of November next
To expedite the enormous task of regis
teripg 60, 900 names within the next ninety
five days the Registrars Office has fairly
distanced itself. Heretofore the work at
the central office has always been done in
the cramped and wholly insufficient apart
ments allotted to the Registrar in the base
ment of the new City Hall. but this year
everything is different.
There has been constructed on the ont
side of the building adjacent to the Regis
trar's office and between two Of the lin
mense wings of the building a spacious
shed, equipped on the inside with every
convenience to make registration easy.
Extending the whole length of the apart
ment, some sixty feet, is desk or counter.
behind which the registration clerks stand,
ana In front of which is series of stalls,
accommodating the several Assembly dis
tricts of the city. Each stall is distinctly
named, so there will be no difficulty what
ever for each voter to go directly to the
desk where he should properly be regis
tered, provided the voter knows in what dis
trict and precinct he resides. That con-
NEW MAPS PREPARED.
For many months the Registrars office
has been busily engaged preparing maps Of
the newly precincted city, and hanging all
over the sides of this new department are
a hundred or more Of these maps, plainly
plaearded aud as systematically arranged
as months of hard work and study could
devise. Every street is named, every block
numbered and every precinct clearly out
lined in culors, SO that there is no possible
chance to make mistake, and the work of
locating every voters proper precinct can
be quickly and accurately p3rfermed. In
brief, the central registration ufnce Is about
as completely equipped now as labor and
money could make it, and incomparably
ahead of any former year.
The work of registration opened up in
splendid shape yesterday. and the first
any former year. AT 8 o'clock 600 voters
had registered. In 1888 the first days work
was $40 and in 1856 only 1S5.
A QUESTION RAISED.
A question was raised yesterday as to the
right Of voters to be entered on the Great
Register who were not natnraliZed until
yesterday The exact language of the law
is: every male naturaliZed citizen who
shall have become such ninety days prior
to any election" shall have the right to vote.
Now, the question is, what construction must
be given to the words NINETY days?' 1t
is generally understood that IN law that
fraction of day constitutes whole day in
the measurement of time. From the be-
ginning of August 9th to the beginning of
November 4th (the day of electionl is a
period of exactly ninety full days. There
were probably hundreds OF foreigners who
could not get naturalized on the 9th (TueS-
day, because not qualified according to
law, but who were qualified on the 9th.
They want to vote, and in a few instances
applied yesterday for registration Their
is of the opinion that the law would ex-
clude them.
JUDICIAL OPINIONS.
A CALL reporter called on several of the
Superior Judges for their opinion on the
subject. Judges LAWYER and Levy unhesi-
tatingly stated as their opinions that, &C
cording to the law, the voter naturalized
on the 6th would be entitled to vote.
Though not naturaliZed in the strictest
sense ninety full days before election, they
were eighty-nine and fraction. The frac-
ton, these Judges think, would be con-
strued by the law in favor of the voter.
Judges Finn and Murphy were also called
upon. Both declined to express an opinion
or commit themselves in any way, saying
that more than likely that the matter would
come up for adjudication, and IL it came be-
fore them they would be placed in a very
awkward position.
Judge Finn said, however. that his i'm
| preston was that man not registered til
| the 9th would not be entitled to register anc
| vote.
Registrar Smiley proposes to reject al
such applications and let the question be
| judiciallY determined.