The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-11-14
NO NEED FOR ANY CHANGE.
Chairman Charlton on the Proposed
New Election Lew.

J
New Election Lew.
The attention Of Hon. W. G.. Charlton
chairman of the democratic executive
committee of the county, was called yester-
day to the bill introduced into the House
Saturday by Representative Osborne Of
Chatham to amend the present registration
and election law Of the city of Savannah.
| MIR. Charlton was shown q copy of the
bill He said he did not know the object
Of amending the present registration law or
| the motive that prompted the bill He saw
no reason for amending the law upon the
| lines proposed.
The practical operations OF the law at
| present he considered satisfactory. The
registration law for the city Of Savannah
when first passed, be said, provided that the
! city registration and election should be
| under the control Of five mmissioners ap-
| pointed by the governor. These commits
sioners were chosen from among the best
| citizens of the community and their ad-
ministration of the law was very salts
! factory. However, some objections were
made as the commission was self-perpetuat-
ing aud it was thought that the authority
was confined within too small limit.
On this account when Col. Gordon was in
| the legislature in 1856 be introduced and
| passed bill changing the manner of select
| Ing the commissioners, which method is at
PtSSSAAS 81 AOANCs ny bLD ~ CoC4lb l4BbuOtA VI
selecting the commissioners of election and
registration, the ordinary selects one, the
| superior court grand jury one, the city
| court grand jury one, the board of educa-
ton one and the sinking fund commission
| one.
The idea Of course was to distribute the
| power OF selecting the commissioners
Mr.. Charlton said he thought this was
| rather miscellaneous distribution of the ep-
| pointing power. he was unable to see what
connection the board Of education and the
! sinking fund comm issiOn had with the ap-
| pointment Of election commissioners For his
| part, he said, if any change were to be
made, he preferred to see a return to the
| old method, by which all five Of the cons
missioners We're appointed by the governor.
| The commission need not be self-perpetu-
ating, but could be appointed every two
| years or for any definite length of time.
Mr.. Charlton considered the points in the
| editorial IN yesterdays MORNING News upon
| the bill well taken. He did not see why the
time for registration should be increased
| by compelling the registration managers to
keep their books open until o'clock at night.
| As the registration is continued during
| three weeks he thinks that everybody who
| has any desire to register can DO so during
the hours of 9 TO 2 o'clock in the day with
the addition of from 4 to s o'clock on Satur-
| days He agrees with the MORNING NEWS
| the position if such were the case. He is
also unable to see any reason for authoriz-
| ing the election managers TO begin counting
the votes before the polls close unless the
object is to give the managers an opportu-
| nifty OF discovering how the vote stands in
which case the information can be con-
| Veyed to the workers on the
outside SO that they may "whoop
EN- up" for their candidate in case he does
not appear to have enough voters in the box
| to guarantee his election
If the bill proposed should become a law
there would be nothing to prevent the man
ayers counting the votes as fast as they
come in, and thus destroying the secrecy
of the ballot. A ballot could be unfolded
as soon as it was handed in and the vote
| called ont. For that matter, if the election
| managers started to counting early enough
| in the day they would have time to ascer-
tain how every man at each precinct voted
| by simply noting the number upon the
back of the ballot and ascertaining the
name opposite that number on the voters
list. This would be a fine weapon for a
| political boss to hold over his subordinates
| 1t is true the bill says that counting shall
not be begun before the polls close IL obiec-
| ton is made by any candidate in person or
| by written authority. Under this law a
candidate who did not want the votes
| counted before the close Of the election
| would have to keep a constant watch on
| theelection managers.
| There would also be a fine opportunity
| for election managers who wished to perpe-
trate fraud to count in any number of votes
| for their candidates and fill out the num-
bers OH the voters list afterward. OF
| course the MORNING NEWS doesn't mean to
| insiuuate that anything of the kind will be
done, but then some queer things have hap
p9ned in the past, and there is no reason to
| let down the bars for fraud Co come in.
| II she supporters OF the proposed amend
ment cannot offer some argument for the
change they had better let the law stay as
it is.