The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-22
READY FOR THE SESSION.
Chatham's Representatives to be on
Hand Early.

Representatives Osborne, Guerard and
Doolan will leave tomorrow or Tuesday
for Atlanta to be ready for the session of
the legislature which convenes Wednes-
day. There is an immense amount of
business to come up before the legislature
at its coming session, the greater portion
being local bills from the different coun-
ties.
Several bills will be offered from Chat
ham county for the county and the city.
The public is already familiar with
most of these local measures. Among
the most important proposed is Repre-
sentative Osbornes bill to give Savannah
a local Australian ballot law. The bill is
very lengthy, but the word Australian"
describes it fully, the meaning of that
word as applied to election laws being
well understood
Mr. Osbornes bill endeavors to provide
for non-partisan board of registration
composed of the judge of the superior
court, the judge of the city court
and the ordinary. The city is divided
into fifteen precincts, at each of which
a place for registering and voting is to be
provided. The managers of the registra-
ton and election are to be selected from
the different parties or factions, no two
managers at any precinct to be from the
Same party where there is more than one
ticket in the field. The caucuses of the
different parties can name suitable per-
sons for these positions, to be passed upon
by the board. Only persons will be al
lowed to register in each precinct who are
residents of that precinct and who have
paid all state, county and city taxes for
the current year.
In elections separate books are to be
provided for the voters and no worker is
TO be allowed within 30 feet of the polls
except for the purpose of casting his vote.
The tickets are to be printed and fur
nished by the city and each ticket is to
contain the name of every candidate. The
voter makes a cross mark opposite the
name of the candidates for whom he
wishes to vote. This will prevent any
one from voting except those who can
read. The man who cannot read will be
at loss how to mark his ticket. No OPP
pOrtunity is allowed forpurchasing votes,
as the voter is required to be absolutely
alone in the booth while preparing his
ballot and casting his vote, thus making
it impossible for the purchaser of a vote
to know if the goods" are delivered. "
The law is very similar in its details to
the state election law now in effect in
New York.
Mr. Osborne will also introduce a gen
eral election bill for the whole state. In
fact the Australian ballot system promises
to be a hobby with the legislature this
session. Half dozen members are pre-
pairing bills of this character, and it is
very probable that some measure resem-
bling the one proposed by Mr.. Osborne
for Savannah, will be passed for the
whole state. There seems to be a senti
ment throughout the state, Mr..
Osborne says, in favor Of an
Australian ballot law, the object
being to shut out the ignorant and the
purchasable voter. Mr.. OSborne's bill
does both to great extent. 1t requires
voter to have sufficient education to
read and intelligence to comply with the
requirements of the law, and it makes
vote-buying very difficult.
Mr. Osborne said yesterday in speaking
of his bill that he did not intend it strict
ly as local measure.
In case a general election law of similar
character is not passed he proposes to
make his bill general by having it apply
to all counties of $4,000 population and
over. This would make the law apply
only to the large counties of Chat
ham, Fulton, Richmond and
Bibb.. MIR. Osborne is doubtful
of the efficacy of such a measure applied
to the country counties. He says the
people in the country have very little
trouble in the management of their cleo
tions The vote at each precinct is small,
and where everybody knows everybody
else, fraud is almost impossible. The
cities are the places where such meas.
ure is needed, Mr.. Osborne thinks.
''Over $25 ,O00," said he, was spent in
this city and county alone in the city and
county elections of last fall. 1t was not
a cent less Aside from the moral phase
of the question, this is terrib BILE drain
upon the pockets of the people who take
an interest in politics, and if
kept up longer the whole thing
will lapse into a question
of who has the most money to spend
The only remedy is to disfranchise the ig-
| norant and the purchasable voters. They
| are usually one and the same. The igno-
rant man is usually the one who sells his
vote. With the opportunity of purchas-
ing votes removed there is chance for
| IN hnnnct c-.,n,.n zion hr the rnennla y