The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-12
CONE OVER BY COUNCIL.
The New Municipal Election Bill Dis
CuSSed by q Committee.


Which Reouires a Voter to Select
From the Ticket the Candidate for
Whom He Votes - A Number Of
Changes ed-Representative
Osborne to Amend the Bill - Proba-
bilities for It's Passage.
a conference was held at the Office Of
Denmark & Adams yesterday afternoon
between Representative Osborne and
committee from the city council, to con-
slider the proposed city election bill now
before the legislature The council was
represented by Aldermen Myers, Wells,
Dixon and Cam, and City Attorney
Adams.
Mr.. OsbOrne's bill is a lengthy one, and
some time was consumed in going over it.
/ The committee agreed with Mr. Osborne
| that if his bill will accomplish
what it is intended to accom-
plish it is just the thing
needed, but if the several constitutional
! objections made by City Attorney Adams
| hold good the effect will be just the OPP
| pOsite, and the law, if shorn of the
| sections affected by these points, would
! furnish a most fruitful source of political
! corruption, and would place danger
! Gus weapon in the hands Of INSCRIPTIONS
| politicians.
ACQUISITION OF CONsTITUTIoNALITY.
The main point made by the city attor-
ney was that the educational qualifca-
| lions required by the BILL that no man
/ should be allowed to vote who could not
read, which is the effect of the section re-
! curing the voter to select his
! candidates from the list on
! the ticket containing the names
! of n IA dot OG
! flee, is contrary to the constitution which
! fixes the qualiticat iOns of a voter.
! The only qualifications prescribed by
| the constitution are that the voter shall
| be 81 years of age, a citizen of this coun-
! try, and a resident of the state for two
! years, and shall have paid all taxes due
| since the adoption of the constitution of
1877.
Mr.. Adams holds that to fix other quail
| iications for the voter would be uncon-
| stitutional, and cannot be done without
! changing the constitution. In the same
! connection Mr. Adams pointed out that
! the section specifying that the eX-
hibition of tax receipts for all taxes
! due for the current year should be prima
! facie evidence Of the payment of all taxes
due by the person applying to register, is
contrary to the constitution, which pre-
scribes that to be a qualified voter, in ad-
| dition to other requirements, the person
! applying to register or vote must have
! paid all taxes due by him since the adop-
| ton Of the constitution of 1877. If this
! provision Of thelaW were allowed, default
! ing tax payers could register and vote by
| paying one years taxes, ndnon-property
| holding voters could escape paying taxes
| except in election years, as they
would be required to exhibit
receipts only for the year in which they
| applied TO register.
TIE DAYS FOR REGISTRATION.
Among other points made by the COM
mittee was that the provision that the
| registry lists should be open only on
| Saturday, which it was held would prove
| very unsatisfactory. Mr.. Osborne ex-
planned that this provision existed in the
Australian ballot laws of other states
where Saturday is half holiday. He
agreed with the committee that in Savan-
nah, where Saturday isthe busiest day, it
| would be well to open the rcgistra-
| ton lists on some other day or on
| Saturday and some other day in order to
give all an opportunity of registering.
The section prescribing that the appH-
| cant must have lived in the precinct in
which he applies to register for thirty
days before so doing, was objected to on
the ground that it might work a hard
ship IN many cases. 1t was suggested
| that the requirement should be simply
resident of the district.
Another point made was that no per
son who depends upon the votes of the
people for his office should have the power
of appointing registrars aud managers Of
election. The bill names the ordinary,
who is an elective officer, as one of the
members of the board of commissioners
having the appointment of registrars and
managers, the other two members being
the judge of the superior court and the
judge of the city court
The objection does not apply to the or
binary personally, but to any elective OIL
Ger.
Mr.. Osborne agreed to take the sugges-
tions of the committee under considera-
tion.
HOW AN ALDERMAN LOOKS AT IT.
An alderman in speaking of the bill
last night said that if it could be passed
practically as it now stands he believed
the law would prove very
valuable in preventing bribery and
corruption of voters at elections.
IF, however" he said, Mr.. Adams
position, that the educational qualifca-
ton is unconstitutional, is found to be
correct, the law would prove of little ben
cit. The whole object of the Australian
ballot system is to shut out the ignorant
and the corrupt voters, and as the iguor-
ant voter is usually the corrupt voter.
the educational qualification is the meat
of the whole law. Even if the law pre-
vented the purchase of voters, without
shutting out the ignorant voter, we
would be but little better off, as expert
ence has shown that the tendency of the
ignorant voter is to vote against the best
interests of the community always, and
to side with the vicious element 1t is
this very fact that has forced otherwise
good citizens into the competition for the
purchase of votes, so common in our cleo
tions, as by this means they secure di-
vision of the ignorant voters and balance
results with the opposing element.
ONE THING TO BE AVOIDED.
1T is a comparatively easy matter to in
fuence the support of the ignorant and
vicious element to the party which prom
Uses them the greatest indulgence, even
without the direct purchase of votes
'lf we can get the Australian ballot
law, pure and simple, it will
prove a great benefit, but mere
pretence of it would prove lust
the opposite"
Another objection made by the commit
tee was to the section of the bill providing
that plurality of votes shall elect for
mayor AT present it requires a majority
to elect, and if no candidate receives a
majority the mayor is elected by council
1t was pointed out that if there should be
] fyR-g 4 i,