Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-04
LETTER BAG.
An Open Letter.

light on the matter, as understand it,
and show you my ideas and the way
that am attempting to get full and
complete registration OF this county.
Enclosed find sample ballot, regis
tration blank, and instructions to depu-
ties.
1t is true that have appointed in the
neighborhood of $50 deputies in this
county for the registration of voters, and
that there are 115 voting precincts in
this county. In the country portion, in
every precinct, when requested, / have
appointed two deputies, one Republican
and one Democrat, and in the city,
in every ward, I have appointed
four to six deputies, equally divided
as to political creed. Considering the
short time that the law gives me to regis
ter the voters, have endeavored to
give the precincts and wards such num-
ber of deputies as will cover the entire
territory in the shortest space of time,
in order that the great majority of the
voters will be registered within the next
month. The county pays the sum of
cents in incorporated cities and cents
in the country for each name registered,
go you will see that it makes no differ
ence as to how many deputies are ap-
pointed. My method of appointment
and securing registration will enable me
to get the names in, and have them
properly classified early, and if there
are any mistakes or omissions will
have an opportunity to correct them.
am not personally acquainted with all
of my deputies, and have only appointed
those who were recommended to me as
responsible men. Hover, am using 3
supervision over the actions of every
one of them to such an extent that if
anything does 60 wrong, or they do not
attend to their business in the proper
manner, | will find it out. aud then
there will be no further use for them.
Your suggestion to number the re gis-
tration blanks is a very good one, and
had I known it sooner would have
adopted it. have deputy appointed
in my Office whose whole duty is to look
after registration deputies, who keeps
an account with every one individually,
who records everything that is given to
him, and to account for every registra-
tion that is taken by the outside deputy.
He is a man who has been in the Office
long time, and who has had the work
in hand before, and who is thoroughly
competent to detect any irregulsrity
that may occur.
1t is my desire to have every man en-
titled to the privilege, to register, SO that
he may vote at the next election,
irrespective Of what ticket he may
favor.
By the blanks that / send you, you
will find that opposite the lines left for
the signature of the person registered is
this:
"E& Voter sign name in full here"
And on the instructions given to the
registration clerks the second is "Enter
names of electors in FULL" and third:
"Each elector must be sworn to the
statement set forth in his registration
affidavit. Clerks must administer the
oath to each selector in person." By
this you will see that if man signs
himself as in your example, Henry G..
Brainard," we have no authority to
write his name Henry George Brain
ard, or to take any other name than
that which he has given to the deputy
clerk, and which he has subscribed as
his full name.
AS to your charge that some of my
deputies are registering names Sin one
way and some in another" | will say
that that is impossible, for the blanks
are all printed the same 30 far as the per-
sonal description is concerned, the only
difference being whether mar lives in
the city or country. There is also
pasted in every book extracts from the
political code and from the constitution
of the state of California, relative to the
registration of electors, and every dep
uty is drilled in his duties before he en-
ters upon them. The sample ballots
which have been printed and which are
being circulated for the benefit of the
voters of this county are drawn Accord
ing to the law in every particular.
1t is true that there were some printed
with the number inserted farther to the
right than was intended, but that was
typographical error, and which was cor
rected as soon as we found it out-verv
shortly after the first batch of 100 was
given to us. The sample ballots as now
circulated by this Office, and which have
been, excepting few of the first issue,
are correct and any man can intelligent
ly understand them. / am sorry to see
that you have misconstrued my
ideas relative to the issuance of
the hand book. I have always
striven to avoid any thought
that was using my public position for
personal qualification or private ends,
and when / inserted the slip you have
reference to it was without thought of
any personality, only with the view that
the book was sent to the party receiy-
ing it with the compliments of the ad-
ministration OF Los Angeles county,
through the source of the county clerks
Office, the county clerk being the clerk
OF the board of supervisors, through
whom the book was issued. AS it is
customary to send literature of like
character in that manner, failed to see
why l should depart from the custom,
and shall continue the same course;
repeating, if may be permitted, that l
do not do go by any personal motives or
advancement of private matters.
In conclusion I will say. that have
tried to do my duty as public officer,
without reference or thought to the
party which has honored me with the
distinction that have received, and ex-
pect the cooperation of every honest
thinking man of this county, to help
me in ierreting out any frauds that may
be perpetrated, or any omissions that
may be made. / shall do my duty. and
if any mistakes are made that am not
cognizant of. / shall be very sorry in
deed. Permit me to say that my Office
is open for inspection by every voter in
this county.
Very respectfully yours,
I. II. WARD, County Clerk.