The morning call., 1891-03-29
ELECTION MATTERS.
Registrar Brown at Once Runs
Up Against a Snag.

Registrar w. A. Brown had his first Off
| cial experience with the Election Commits
sioners yesterday, and If his experience Is
any criterion of the future his official berth
will prove anything but bed OF roses.
Mayor Sanderson was not present. He
| had joined the Board of Health and several
| Supervisors in an investigating expedition
to the City aud County Hospital. Neither
was Surveyor TiltOn present. He had gone
to Precita Greek to settle question of ri
parian rights.
Dispensing with all customary formal
prelminarieS on first meeting, Mr.. Brown
waded into the business on hand by submit
ting a resolution prepared by him pro
v!ding for an increase Of his meager force.
He explained that 1t was necessary, accord
ing to The law, to redistrct and reprecnct
the entire city, and to do 1t properly he
would need more assistance. The resOlu-
ton read as follows:
Resolred, That the Registrar be and he is
hereby authorized 10 employ such clerical force
as may be necessary for the reprecnetng Of the
several Assembly districts In accordance Win
the reapportiOpnent and In the preparation OF
nrecnct registers and such other work IA y
be necessary; such force not TO exceed Three ln-
Guiding the messenger, their salarles not 10 ex'
coed Sl20 month.
Mr.. Brown undertook to explain in behalf
of his resolution the vast amount of work to
be done, but was cut short by the Auditor.
who said: g would like II ask what the
Registrar has been doing for the past two
months :?
This query was not anticipated by the
new Registrar. He hestated Il little then
called attention to some papers on his table
that he said were subject to the inspection OF
the commission. He did not explain what
they were, but explained that he commenced
the work OF repreclnctlng as required by
law, but was obliged to stop because OF the
new aDDOTtOnmeut undertaken by the
Legislature.
Auditor Smiley replied that when he was
Registrar he did all the work of reprecinct-
ing with only his Chief Deputy and Mes
senger. and h had plenty Of time. Mr..
Browns excuse for not having done anything
on that work for two months he thought
a very lame one. The first work neces-
sary IN reprecincting is to ascertain the eX-
act number of voters in every block in the
city, and tie new AppOrtlonmeut Bill could
not interfere with that in the least. There
is now one year aud a half before the next
election, and he was satisfied the Registrar,
with his Chief Deputy and Messenger,
could easily do the work if they attended to
business. He was opposed to adding an
other dollar of expense to the Election Com
mission this fiscal year, as the appropriation
| is already $3.50 overdrawn.
Mr. Brown pleaded that lie is anxious to
| push the work through now and avoid
| rush when tia work Of election crowds IN.
Auditor Smiley was sure there would be
no rush il the work is properly attended to
| with the present force.
Concluding that the resolution was uu-
popular and stood a splendid chance of be-
| Ing defeated the Registrar said he would
only ask for two more clerks instead Of
| three. Even then Auditor Smiley suggested
| laying the matter over till the next meeting
| before taking any action That course was
decided upon and an adjournment was de-
clared subject to the call OF the Chairman.
The contract for binding the precinct
registers was awarded to Hicks " Judd for