The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-19
The civ Reqiatration BilI.

il is now arranged that the citizens
/ committee shall be heard by the special
1 judiciary committee of the House in ovpo-
sition to the bill that provides for taking
the registration of this county out of the
control Of the county commissioners and
placing it in the control of the ordinary.
The committee came very near not get
ting hearing. The judiciary committee
had reported the bill favorably before the
. citizens committee knew anything about
the matter, and if prompt steps had not
been taken to check its progress the bill
would have been pushed through the
House before those chosen to oppose it
could have made known the grounds of
their opposition to it.
We believe we are right in saying that
neither the judiciary committee nor the
House desires to fasten a law upon this
county which the people of the county
do not want, and which would be burden
some and injurious to their interests. As
suming this statement to be true, let the
judiciary committee when it considers
the registration bill next Tuesday. inquire
who of the citizens of Chatham desire the
bill to become law. and if it is salts
factorlly shown that respectable number
of Chatham's citizens favor it, let the
committee inquire why they favor it. Is
ii an improvement upon the present regis
tration law! If so, in what respect is it
an improvement? VIII it cost less? Will
it insure a fairer registration VIII it
bring about the registration of larger
percentage of that class of citizens who
are interested in the prosperity of the
city, If it Will accomplish none of these
things, what then is the purpose of it,
Those who are urging the passage of
this bill should be required to answer all
Of these questions, and their answers
should be supported so completely that
no fair minded man would be left in
doubt as to whether or not the bill should
become a law.
If we are not mistaken the legislature
will not permit itself to be used to ad-
vance the political schemes of any set or
combination of men. The great and pros
porous county of Chatham is in a measure
in its power. 1t can enact laws that will
greatly retard the county's progress and
increase its burdens. 1t is assumed. how
ever, that the legislature will do nothing
of that kind knowingly. 1t should be
careful to do nothing of that kind ignor-
antly. That it may not be misled it
should make thorough inquiry into the
merits of this registration bill for Chat
ham county and find out exactly what
the purpose of it is.
1t must seem strange to any legislator
who thinks about the matter moment,
why it should be desired by anyone to
take the registration out of the hands of
the five county commissioners, who have
just been elected by the people, and place
it in the hands of the ordinary, for whom
a salary is provided in the bill Is there
a lack of confidence on the part of any
body in the commissioners? If so why is
it that the fact has not cropped out?
And il must also seem strange to any
legislator that the bill so changes the
time for registering that many of the
most prominent citizens will be away
from the city, and the city will be overrun
with idle blacks at the time the registra-
ton books are open. Indeed, there are
good many strange things in connection
with this bill, some of which will be
brought out at the hearing before the iu-
dietary committee but none of which the
House would have heard, in all probable
ity, if the bill had not been recalled by
that committee.