The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-14

lattoes came up from the De Soto with
afhdavits witnessed by p. l. Constantine
10 the effect that they had only recently
come OF age Mr.. Frierson refused 70 ac-
cept the afldavits on the ground that he
did not believe Constantine to be a notary
public A certificate was brought him TO
the effect that he was a notary public.
He then refused to register the men on the
ground that he did not believe they were
OF age Mr.. Walsh put their names
down anyway.
Nothing material was brought out on
any OF the cross-examination. 1t being
O'Clock, the judges adjourned. The COM
mission met at $50 o'clock in the superior
court ROOM Judge Falligant delivered the
decision Of the commission, which is as
follows:
The electoral commission finds that moth
ing has been shown 10 justify the re-
moval OF Mr.. Cooley as registrar. While
suggesting that tax receipts were not eX-
elusive evidence, and think affidavits or
other evidence must be satisfactory 10
the registrars, and that they
must determine that question. and
the citizens must be registered
in pursuance of their decis-
ion. No one registrar has the right TO
register name without the approval of
tho other. Beth regiAtrars should be
controlled by perfect fairness and i'm
Partially, and no factiOnal objections
should be made. When registrars differ
the party seeking the registration should
be given the opportunity of removing the
difficulty by further evidence, and the
registrars themselves should advise him
of what is necessary in a spirit Of fairness,
free from partizanship. We think Mr..
Walsh was wrong in entering names upon
the book without the consent of his as
sociate registrar but he appears to have
believed that he had the right so to do.
InagunnQh ag M fucfrnrffona n this raOfnf
have heretofore been issued by the COM
misioners, we viii not at this late day re-
move him. but we direct that this miscon-
duct shall not be repeated.
r. Falligant Judge.
A. II. Macdonald
Commissioner.
Hampton L. Ferrill,
Commissioner.
Judge Falligant followed the delivery of
the decision, which was in writing, with
some highly interesting remarks. He
said the commissioners, in their opinion
previously expressed with regard to affi-
davits by parties who had paid their
taxes, but had not received their tax re-
ceipts, had not meant to encourage a
wholesale flood of afiidavits, as appeared
to have been the result. The reckless
manner in which many people seemed
willing to take a solemn oath as to mat
ters of which they had no personal knowl-
edge was something amazing, he said.
1t had been shown that men had made
affidavit to the fact that their taxes were
paid on the simple statement of some
one else that money to pay their taxes
had been sent to the collector by a third
party. Instances had been shown where
a man had made such an affidavit and
had applied to be registered before the
letter containing the money to pay his
taxes could possibly have reached the
postoffice. These people, he said, had no
means of knowing whether the money
sent by them or supposed to have been
sent by third party had ever reached
the tax collector or whether il it did, the
amounts had been found correct. The
trouble, Judge Falligant said. was that
too many people seemed to have no appre-
citation of the sacred character of an
oath.
The decision of the commission gave
great satisfaction to the Duncan men,
who have contended for several days that
the affidavit business was being worked
by their opponents to an uniustifable ex-
tent. Hundreds of good citizens on both
sides have taken advantage of the affi-
davits by sending in the amount due by
them for taxes, making affidavit to the
fact and registering. This has been a
great convenience to business men who
could not afford the time and who did
not care to mingle in the crush at the court
house simply to pay their taxes. 1t was
evidently this class that the decision opin-
ion as to affidavits was intended to bene-
fit. When II became evident that the
affidavit business was being overdone the
commission concludede that it was time to
fix some limitation to it.