The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-16
The 81 Reeistration.

The City Registration.
We believe all good citizens rejoice that
the city registration is ended. The scenes
that were witnessed at the court house
for several days were Of a very disgracefuI
character. The crowd that fought for
places at the tax collectors office was
divided into two factions. composed of
white and black men, and each faction was
prepared to adopt almost any means to
get an advantage Of the other. The Won
der Is that one or more men were not
killed in the efforts that were made to
gain and keep control Of the door leaa-
ing into the tax collectors Office.
Some were disposed TO blame the tax
/ collector for not charging the facilities
Of his Office to accommodate the extra
ordinary rush TO pay taxes. 1t would
have been a rather difficult matter for
him 10 have made such changes as the
situation demanded, and. besides. he is
not the tax collector for the city. He is
tax collector for the state and county, and
the registration that caused the demand
for a chance to pay taxes was for a city
election. The tax the great majority
wanted to pay was the poll tax.
These poll tax payers knew last Octo-
Der. when the tax books were opened, that
the city election was close at hand. and
that they would have to pay the poll tax
! and all other taxes before they could reg
lister. They made no attempt to pay poll
taxes. however. until the registration
was begun.
And there would have been no great
rush TO pay taxes after the registration
books were opened If money had not been
supplied for the payment of taxes. The
purpose of each faction was to pay the
poll tax Of as many as it could of those
whom it thought it could control at the
election. The paying of the poll taxes,
therefore, that caused all the trouble, was
a species of bribery How far this sort
of bribery win affect the result of the
election it remains TO be seen We fear
that many Of those who allowed their poll
taxes to be paid for them will expect to
be paid for voting. If that should be the
case, the bribery at the approaching city
| election may exceed that at any previous
/ system of voting that has been adopted
it will be impossible to follow bribed
voter to the polls and see that he votes
/ as he agreed to. but if the contest prom
Uses to be a close one chances may be
/ taken
I 1t would have been in the interest of
| purer politics if each faction had refused
| to pay the poll tax of any voter. and the
| factions would now commend themselves
to public favor if they would agree to
/ spend no money improperly to influence
voters at the election. In the absence of
I any such agreement there may be more
vote buying than heretofore, notwith-
/ standing the ballot law alleged to have
been enacted in the interest of pure cleo
tions.
Three wings and four domes! Gracious,
what a phenomenon that horticultural
building at the Atlanta exposition will be
Most things in nature that have wings
at all have only two, and those that have
more have even numbers; and most great
buildings that have domes stop at one
or two. But Atlanta has set out to beat
nature and architecture in this exposition
business, and If wings and domes will
do the trick she is going to win. Let er
futterl
1t begins to appear as if there would
be a fight between Mexico and Guate-
mala, after all. Our dispatches this morn
ing indicate that war preparations are
going on in Mexico, and it is known that
cockey little Guatemala has been getting
in shape for some time. A war between
these countries. however, would probably
be short. unless Guatemala could per-
suade somesof her neighbors to come to
her assistance.