The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-11-05

under the construction placed by theobjectors
10 Pierce county the United States courts must
BE- opened ten days before Aug. 5
/ The acts of Dec. =, 1897 and Aug. 81, 1891 for
1 Applng county. make the tax receiver the re-
( glstrar and require that he shall register the
voters while making his regular rounds as tax
| receiver. from April 20 July of each year
Appling and Pierce are in the same federal
/ judicial district and the objections fled if APP
| plicaOle at all, will opsn the court for election
! purposes ten days before A pril l. and as by the
| succeeding section, the court must remain open
1 until the election, court umust be open from
! April until the election in November
! The act of Sept. 1. 1891, makes the justices Of
/ the peace registrars for Chattoogs county.
! Their registration books must bs kept open
/ from the first Monday IN July until three DAYS
! previous to the election, No person whose name
is absent from this list will be permitted 10
vote. There IS no requirement in this act for
/ the oath as TO the payment of taxes, aud if the
! Justice OF the peace is of the opinion upon what
! evidence L statute is not sp 'cidcl tn at the
| PERSONS a qualified voter, he can register him
even though he be not present.
! Tie registration act Of Floyd county is even
| more complicated. II prescriUes different regu-
latlOnS for different dis riots in the same coun-
! tY IL allows no one to vote VINO is not on the
/ registration list. Ii provides that where a per
! son has been registered, another may make
/ afddavlt charging the registry to have been i'm
| proper, have copy left at the usual place of
abode OF the pers IN, who's registration is at
tackled, and, even though that person be alb
| sent from home, unless he appears and answers
| stricken from the registration list
The act Of Aug. II, 1891, for Baldwin county,
makes the tax collector registrar. The regis
! tration books must be opened on the same day
| when the books for the collection Of state and
| county taxes are opened and closed on the day
| when they are CLOSED, and the citizen must
| make oath that he has paid his taxes No per
! son is permitted to vote whose name is not on
| the registry
The act of Nov. 7. 1885, for wilkinson county,
makes the justices of the peace registrars. All
in fna NNr NtW4lA fsNh sauFlG
/ istered, under the act.
! Registration is TO be made only every other
| year, beginning in 1890. The registration books
| are to be oDen during the three months ending
! fifteen days before the election for members of
the general assembly. On five days notice, left
| at the place of abode of any person who has
| registered the commissioners OF roads and rove
nues, who, it will be observed, are not the
| registrars, may strike such persons name
| from the registry list if he fails to appear and
| make atsfactory answer. Only voters who
| are qualified at the time of the registry, under
| the constitution and laws OF Georgia, can be
\ registered. No provision is made for allowing
! the citizen to make oath as to his qualifications
but he is required by the act TO produce re
! ceipts or other satisfactory proof of the pay
ment of all taxes chargeable against him that
! he has had an opportunity Of paying. No pro-
| vision is made for persons arriving at the voting
| age after the closing of the books for registry
and before the election, or for persons residing
| in the county for six months but who have re-
| moved into the county from other sections OF
And yet, the act provides that no person not
registered on the list for the county shall vote.
Penalties are prescribed for any person regis
| tering unawfullY. but the act imposes no pen
| atty for a person voting or attempting to vote
| who has not registered, and yet in other coun-
| ties this is punishable by Indictment.
| The registration act for Warren county pro-
| vides that any person, who has lived in the
! county for six months, and who has moved into
the county since the closing of the registration,
and who is otherwise qualified, may register up
! to- fQVT Of al nfaa
The act OF Dec ~ $50 for Bib county, pro-
vides for the registration Of voters up to within
| fifteen days before the election, who were
| providentially nindered from registering, who
have since moved into the county, or Preached
! their majority. This act has been declared I'M
| constitutional, on other grounds, by superior
| court of the state.
1t is, perhaps, unnecessary to call further at
| tention to the varying and inconsistent provi-
| siOns of other registration enactments the il
Illustrations given above will be sufficient to show
| that the registration is not only not uniform,
but that it las the most far-reaching, Irregular
| anu gen rally unfair results upon the exercise
Of the el c.iVe franchise in the different portions
OF thes,ate. 1t may be added, however, that
| i'll some counties a minor who will attain his
| majority by tie time Of the election, Is required
| to register Will he.is minor to entite nm to
| vote at the election. n other counties there
are no such requirements and he can vote with
| out regt tering; and in still other counties his
case is not provided for at all.
The same diversity of regulation is found in
| VHflOus counties III regard 10 CnS case OF ClGl-
zen who has moved into a county, after the
registration but who is. otherwise, entitled to
vote. And. it will often happen that there will
| he two contiguous counties in the same con-
gressional district, and in one the citizens will
have the privilege of register ing up to the day
! before the election, while in the other voters,
posses ing all che qualifications required by the
| constitution, are denied the right of voting by a
1 registration, which closed from six months TO a
| year before the election This widespread
inequality is intensified in its general effect be-
] tn r,ar,I isr,I.4 Of in
| there are no re gistration laws whatever.
The penalties of the various acts are az va
rious as the methods and the requirements for
| registration.
! 1t will often happen that persons In adioin-
/ ing countless voting, or attempting to vote, for
| the same congressman, will be punished differ
! entity tor the same act; or the one will be- pun
ished and the other will be gulltless of any vio-
| lation of law. The inequality and illegality Of
| the conditions thus enumerated are obvious.
II is announced by emnent authority that,
| while registration laws are constitutional
| their requirements must be reasonable and uni
| form, and equal facilities must be afforded to
! all the citizens of the state to comply with
| their requirements, otherwise they are void.
| Cooley's CONSTITUTE onal Limitations star page
| col.
This declaration is especially pertinent where
| the organic law Of the state requires, we have
seen to be the case in Georgia, the enactment Of
uniform and not special legislation. and where
! the registration clause of the constitution pro-
| vldes, not for the registration of portion of
| those otherwise qualified to vote, but for the
| registration of "dH electors"
! For the reason stated the court is of the
| opinion tlat as constituting an obstacle to the
| appointment of supervisors to supervise a gen
eral election, the registration enactments of the
general assem- oily Of Georgia are imperative and
void, because IN conflict with the constitution of
| the state. But, if this were not true, 1t would
| be none the less our duty to disregard
| them They are plainly in conflict
with section 2 Jos of the Revise Statutes which
! provides: "When, under the authority of the
| constitution or laws of any state. any act is re-
| quired to be done as prerequisite or quafca-
ton for voting and by such constitution or laws
persons or officers are charged with the duty of
OF furnishing to citizens an opportunity to per-
| form such prerequisites. or TO become qualified
| to vote. every such person and officer shah give
TO all citizens of the United States the same and
/ equal opportunity % perform such prerequisite,
and to become qualified to vote
/ Now il is not enough that all the citizens of
| the same county shall have an equal opportun-
ity. but all the electors OF the state voting, or
| desiring TO vote, at the same general election,
| must have the equal opportunity to perform
| the prerequisites and to become qualified
| to vote And it is a necessary implication OF
| the language of this statute Of the United
| States that the prerequisite for voting at the
| same general election must be equal to each
| elector Indeed It is true that if a ate of the
! American union prescribes for portion of its
citizens, otherwise entitled to vote, prerequisites
| for W ting from which other citizens are re-
! neved, Co that extent the state ceases to main
! tain republican form Of government. and en-