The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-09-26
CLAY WARD.
The City Committee Talks About Its
Precincts.

The CITY Democratic Committee met last
night to hear the report Of a subcommittee,
composed of James {. Lamb. \. W. Rosene.
Dennis Wren, Francis \. BoWry, Thomas
b. Hicks. and Jefferson Wallace.
The report, when explains itself and was
adopted. is as follows:
The undersigned, who were appointed
,peeial committee 10 inquire and report 10
| This committee whether II Is praclicable 10
repeal the recent ordinance creating an addl-
tiOnal voting precinct in Clay Ward, respect
| fully report as lOllOws;
That they proceeded at once 10 inform
themselves as 10 the facts IN the case when
| they found 20 be the following: The recent
ordinance changed the boundaries OF the FIST
and Fourth precincts Of Clay Ward ana ere
| ated an additional precinct called the FiHh.
Tne Second and Third we're unchanged.
After the passage Of this ordinance the III
ectoral Board of the city appointed the rigs
trars for the several precincts Hooper DeihS
appointed for the Fourth, Lewis iOrthe First,
and Jacob for the Fifth. Immediately upon
| their appointment the registrars chopper
and Lewis began the work OF striking on
| from their books the names OF inc voters
whose voting places had been changed by
| said Encouragement a. required by section
| ~ Code 1857. and that work has been COM
| pIeted, Hooper, Ofthe Fourth precinct. trans
ferring To Lewis. Of the First, more than 400
names and Lewis transferring 10 jacob, Oh
the Fifth. more than GOO names. JACOB mas
moi vet qualified aS registrar Of the Fifth pre-
cinct and has not entered the names 80
| transferred 10 him on the feslstii,lloh DOCKS
of ms precinct. Your committee iuTthtI
learned that a great many voters whose
yotiug-places have been thus changed nave
already applied 10 the Democratic headquar-
icrs iOr information, and that arrangements
have been made al headquattvIs ipl pels',l,
aIlv Notifying every voter Of the lOcatl on OF
his voting place.
THE REAL QUESTION
with These facts ascertained, the question
which presented itself was TINS II the ordi-
nance should be repealed ana the OLD pee
cincts restored, what would be the status 81
those votes more than one thousand IN
number whose names have been struck
| from the pCll-bOOks and VINO nave not been
registered in the new precinct Upon TINS
question your committee took the advice OF
counsel and they are Informed that under
the circumstances of the case there Is no
mode prescribed In the law whereby those
ycteis could be restored 10 the poll-books,
except by being registered III the manner
| provided I'm the statutes.
| iNour committee, therefore, report that IN
their Judgment a repeal Ofsaid ordinance al
| this lime would be both impracticahle and
| inexpedient They believe that such repeal
would result in great confusion and the loss
OF many votes at the ensuing election.
TOO LATE TO REGISTER.
| II now too late 10 order general regis
| tratlOn for those precincts under section Il
of the Code because that section requires
1
| lion: and while voter can apply 10 be regis
| tered nj any time. and one day Is set apart
| for registration before the election, yet when
| we con sider how difficult II Is To secure the
| registration Of even the natural Increase OF
| voters in this way the impOssibility OF re-
storing these 1000 names 10 The poll looks
| between this and the day OF election Is
| plainly manifest.
| Furthermore. IL is matter Of common
| knowledge that by reason Of the large num-
Der of voters registered therein the lrst pre-
| cnct Of Clay Ward, rs IL existed before thls
| ordinance was adopted, mad become a source
| of danger and discOrd in our party. The an
| hculty OF counting The votes In mat preclnct
has for several years caused great delays III
| announcing thcresult Of the elections, ana IL
| has been sometimes charged by defeated can
/ didates or their friends That these delays
| were intentional and were designed lor I'M
| proper ana Illegal purposes.
| While no reasonable person believes these
| charges II was felt To be desirable TO remove
| all cause Tor complaint or dissatisfaction,
| particularly IN our own party. II was iOf
these reasons among others, that your pre-
discussion on Ihis committee proposed ana
secured the adoption Of the ordinance under
consideration,
Bat aside from this and witiiout regard To
the policy or pfOprletN OF cfthDlishlns inc
new precinct ina the first instance, your COM
mittee is OF opinion that at this time aud
under the present circumstances II Is not
Ouly impracticable' Dut IL would DE eAceeu-
| lngiy unwIse to repeal the ordinance.
| Your committee therefore recommend the
adoption Of the accompanying resolutions.
THE RESOLUTIONS.
Resolved, l. That in the opinion OF this
committee IL Is imDracticable. inexpedlent,
and unwise at this time TO repeal me recent
| ordinance creating an additional voting pre-
cinct in Clay Ward, and the CITY Council II
| respectfully requested not 10 concur In the
| resolution of the Board OF Aldermen repeal
| ing said ordinance.
2 that a committee OF six be appointed by
| the Chair 10 present these resolutions 10 the
CITY Council AT its next meeting
| Mr.. w. 4. Loving moved that the same
committee, with the exception OF Mr.. Phil
| ms. be appointed 10 wait on the Council.
| MIR. X. T. Davis was added
| NEW MEMBER.
When the Clay Ward matter mad been
disposed OF, Mr.. Knowles introduced Cap
tain Fred. Peasants, fhe newly-elected
member Of the committee.