The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-08-12
TITS ILLEGAL REGISTRATION.
Alameda Citizens Being Regis.
tered In San Francisco.
Some OF the New Clerks From Across the Bay
10 Out Of Their Territory to Secure
the Names Of Voters

Alameda County is In the throes of an
election registration.
90 Is every other county in the State,
ana Tor that matter. probably every other
county In the United States. But the
chances are that in no other county are
quite the same tactics employed in the
Work OF registration as in Alameda County.
III Alameda's method is not unique, it
certainly ought to be, for it is reprehensi-
LII you live in Alameda you can get regis
tered IN Oakland. II you live in Fruitvale
You can get registered In West Berkeley If
you vote IN Bay Farm Island you can get
REGISTERED at Laundry Farm.
More than all this, if you live in Alameda
county you can get registered in San
Francisco.
No; the last is not legal, but it goes.
EEVeIylhlng seems TO go In the Alameda
County registration scheme.
oakland voters whose business duties
keep them In San Francisco all day NAV
thinK IL quite handy TO be registered on this
Size OF The bay, but they evidently need TO
ne told that such registration is not valid,
as Iney may hnd out when they come to vote.
There are 40 hungry registration clerks
In Alameda County but recently appointed
Dy The Board of Supervisors. Ten Of these
are employed at the County Clerks Office in
Oakland. The other 30 roam the county
anu Tue adjacent counties at their own sweet
VIII. seeking out their prey and devouring
Whom they catch-Rnd whenever they catch
him.
These outside registry clerks are paid per
VIeunl. In closely settled districts they get
~ cents Tor each person registered, in thnly
populated portions the remuneration is %
cents head
They stop you on the street, in the trains,
10 me DaroeT-shop and cigar-stOres; you
cannot take drink, buy a CALL from the
newsstand nor have your shoes blackened
without being accosted by a young man
Win big MANILA book under his arm,
oiand smile on his face and these words ON
his tongue:
Have you registered?"
Inc chances are this Is about the fftieth
tlme mat question has been flung Mt you i'm
tle past two weeks. In that event you saw
es with much vig0r and "Get OUT un-
der your breath. You may even swear
auClDiy II the registry clerk is smaller
man than you.
Some day one of these clerks will run up
against a prlze-fghter for the hundredth
Time In week. Then there will be laid
Ous registry clerk, and l0Dg-suffering
puDlc Will not be oyershocked at the out
rage.
REGISTERING ON A sTREET-CoRNER.
In oakland branch registry Offices have
been established at every street corner, and
more than one enterprising clerk has erected
street Dooth At Broadway and Seventh
street is one OF these. Its proprietor was
particularly fortunate in his location. Hun
ureds OF voters have registered at the booth
WINE waiting Tor the train, and the Golfers
OIL the lucky registry clerk are cores pond
ngly pleth0Tic.
Out la Fruitvale, Laundry Farm, West
brfkeley and such places the path of the
registry clerk is more thorny. Voters are
few and lar between and carriage hire is
IN fHa.
SIN, the rate is high, and If one catches
only loo week wages have been made at
all events.
Now. all this may be very accommodating
or very annoying TO the average citizen
according TO the annoyance or accommodate
tlOn Teeelyed-but IL is strictly legal. The
method Is IN strict accord with the provis-
IONS Oh he general registry law passed by
the last Legislature, San Francisco alone
enjoying immunity from the effects Of that
enactment
But that is not all.
low about these er-enterprislng regis
Try clerks who ply their erstwhile vocation
on the ferry-boats outside the county lines?
anu now ABOUT those ~ho register Alameda
voters In San Francisco?
That this is done there Is ample proof.
Inc County Clerks officials 10 not deny it.
a GALL reporter who inquired at the Coun-
y CLERKS Office yesterday as TO the legality
OF THIS proceeding met with this reply:
NO; that's not right 10 register man
out OF the county. But who's going to
Slck? AS long as a man gets properly
registered what's the difference where it's
dOne?"
But is man properly registered when
ne goes through the motions outside the
county asked the reporter Of the chief
clerk.
We'll. don't know that lie is: but jps
all rlght as long as no one kicks What's
the use Of kicking at little thing like
that?"
Your registry clerks do 60 outside the
Sometimes, maybe. You see. | don't
know exactly. They're allowed to 90 on
the IerrJ-6oats, you know, SO long as they
onlf register inside the county line. which
Is ABOUT quarter of mile off the MOLE
Inc TACT is that since the new clerks
were appointed several Of them have been
riding pack and forth on the ferry-bnats in
tue mornings and evenings and registering
passengers on their way home from tie time
the poat leaves the Markct-street slip.
a lew others have been coming over To
the cl'y aud entering the stores. factories
anu business ofhces where Alameda County
residents are known TO be employed.
Ihls Is most flagrant breach of the new
registry law, but, as the chief clerk saws
" - All f!ght II you do not get found out.
Each OF these registry clerks is empow
eIeu oy law 10 administer the necessary
9ati, ana beyond the fact that lie is wan
uerihg creature his procedure is precisely