The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1894-03-17
CENTRALIZED REGISTRATION

HE6lSTHAVlON.
Our beaven-born statesmen who
have been vaunted as the peers of
the best in any country, by ex- Min
ister Stevens and his cunfcdorates
from here in the United States. do
not show up to the play bills in their
legislative efforts. Their work on
the Constitutional Convention bill
would Indicate that they are ready
to embrace any untried theory on
sight. The provision for a single
registration board sitting in one
central office was swallowed at
gulp on the strength OF a memorial
from a party committee which was
characterized by a facile perversion
Of facts. Those who sign the dOcu-
ment know better than some OF the
assertions they subscribe, and the
only explanation Of their stultifca-
tion is that the plan was decrred by
the bosses and the committee we're
only appointed as expert automa-
tons to register the decree and
write specious arguments all round
it for props. Neither they nor the
oligarchic Legislators can offer an
example from anywhere of such
ceutralizing of the work Of register
ing voters. Purportiug to provide
against fraudulent regist ries. i, is
particularly well adapted to facili.
tate fraud. Being job in itself,
as to- one Of its prime objects,
to- provide for few needy "heelers."
il is only to be expected that it will
he prolific Of jobs, the aggregate Of
which will bo a stuffed electoral
roll in the interest Of the so-called
radicals" An instance of the fac
titious reasoning Of the committee
in favor of centralized registration
is the following: Thirty men Uhree
for each OF the ten voting prccincts),
taken from their ordinary daily
avocations. meeting together a few
times for a few hours, once IN year
or two, most OF them with no special
fitness or natural aptitude for such
work. and many with but scant cx-
perience in il, do not and, in the ma.
ture of things, never can produce
satisfactory results. This is not
mere theory, but rather wcll.cstab-
lished fact" A.. il we remember
correctly, all three gentlemen who
put their signs manual to this de.
nunciation OF inspectors Of election
in times past, they are welcome to
their own share Of the unpleasant
imputatiou. but others who have
acted in the same capacity will, II
they have ordinary sclf-respcct. re-
sent being called fools aud block.
heads. As a matter OF fact, the in.
spectors Of election in Honolulu
have been the cream Of the young
business element. Many OF them
have had much experience IN the
conduct Of social organizations.
They are to be found in every jury
panel, where their training in the
weighing of evidence, in the acquir.
ing OF knowledge Of human nature
and in the scrutiny Of fraud il Of
peculiar value To iii them for iuspcc-
tors OF election or anything else
within the range of general iutcIli.
gcnce and business acumcn. Above
all the system Of district registration
gives the charge Of registration Of
voters to residents in the particular
district, who are likely to know
most il not all Of those who come up
to be enrolled. Cndcr the new sys.
tenn Of a central bureau three men
are eXuectcd Ia perform more eircc-
| tive scrutiny Of all the would. be-
voters Of ten polling districts than
three men have hitherto done for u
single polling district. 1t is hard to
preserve sufficient patience for criti-
cising such a provision as this, the
product as il is Of either lunary or
knavery.