The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-06-13
SRAYTON'S REASONS
Fer Trying 10 Overthrow The Eesistra'lon
Laws.

Fer Try,ns 10 Overthrow The Registration
COLUMBIA, S. g., June THE fol-
lowing letter was published this morn
ing:
AS l am the enc mainly responsible
for the institution Of the proceedings
in the Supreme Court to have the con-
stitutionality of the registration law
of the State tested, it may not be amiss
to stste the reasons which have gov
erned my action.
This law enforced according to its
provisions Is more harsh, restrictive
and obnoxious to fundamental pTlncl-
pies than is generally known. 1t dis
franchises every voter VINO passes one
registration period without getting bis
certificate, regardless of the causes. II
absent, sick, crowded out or Indifferent
he is subjected to the same penalty. 1t
disfranchises every voter not previous
" registered. who moves into county
after the first Monday in July proceed
Ing a general election. Thus, though
he may actually have been a resident
in the county four months before the
election and the constitution declares
that but sixty days residence IN the
county preceding an election IS re,
ouired, his right to Yote abIogated ana
be is remediless.
The law bases the right of electors to
vote, not upon the registration, but
equally upon the presentation at the
polls of the certificates of registration
1t is anomalous and un-Amerlcan to
say that the inalienable and sovereign
right of suffrage must be conhned to a
fimsy piece of paper liable to be lost,
DESTROYED. mislaid or stolen. The put
ting of the closing day Of reglstrstlon
on the first Monday of July Is contrary
to the spirit and understood meaning
of registration and is sub7ersiVe OF the
franchise, making registration close
before it should, and In other States
does. begin, and before the excitement
of the Campaign and the nearness OF
the election have directed the atten'
ton and aroused the interest OF the
voters. cannot have for its object the
purpose inherent in registration as de-
clared essential by the courts and au'
thorities, or abridging suffrage, put us
effect is clearly to deprive voters OF
the possession and exercise OF tnelr
constitutional rights.
The making secret the registration
records is only destructive OF the fun
damental rights of voters and suDVer'
siYe Of the PRINCIPLES inherent In regis
tration. A registration to be conStitu
tlonal must be easy, free, impartial and
public, and its purpose should be to
provide for the regulation OF Suffrage
and to prevent repeating. Some StaVes
and courts consider even this klno OF
regulation an illegal restraint and IN
| fringement of the right OF sunrage'
Besides the registration books having
been in use twelve years are dllsplda
ted, confused and unreliable.
To these constitutional provisions OF
the law there are added the 1rIltatln2
expensive and unnecessary exacClons
of forcing voters to 60 to the SupefVl'
sor's Office and the getting of new Ger
ti6cates in case of their loss or bhe
| moving from the county p;eclncC OF
change of residence. Under the oper'
alton of this law it is estimated there
are one hundred thousand negroes anc
thirty thousand whites either dlstran'
chised or disqualified from voting. lr
addition to the constitutional detects
in the laws are to be considered the
capabilities it affords for eYasions anc
partisan manipulation. Heretofore the
Republicans have had to encounter anC
endure these. Those who have moi
studied the law Or practiced its iniqni'
ties can not comprehend the adVanta
ges afforded to those in controi OF tne
% achinery or the helplessness OF those
victims to its unfair execution. Ine
division among the Democrats pre-
sants new situation. It foreshado VS.
the time when one faction will be treat
ed as the Republicans have been. rms
white men will not submit to aac
when the crisis comes there will oe
ploodshed and anarchy. Is 1t not oet
ter to forestall aud avert this calamley
by uprootiog law which has outliVeo
the purposes of Its creation! 1t IS no'
necessary, for elections were carried De
Seen 1876 and 1882 without 1T and
and now there is the eight box Ia" to
supplement- old agencies. 1t is hazard
Gus to depend upon the law being used
! for the benefit of the Democrats, be-
cause when they divide at the polls 1t
will afford a weapon for the dominant
side to scourge their hostile brethren
| Besides it is demoralizing to be de-
pendent upon these sworn supervisors
being subjected to the need OF commit
ting perjury to favor their psrtlsans
and make those citizens thus accom-
| modated and illegally favored partl
ceps crlmlnlS.
Such law, besides being a badge Of
shame to a state, is a serious lmpedl
ment to its growth and prosperity. Tc
self-respecting and independent mar
there would be well grounded o0]ec
tons to moving into a State dominated
by such law and where constitutional
rights are 50 easily lost or aerogated.
The court can safely set aside tae
law, for, if the eight-box election Ia"
is not considered sufficient, there Il
time for the Legislature to be conVen'
ed and other laws passed, while IT TINS
law stands and new Constltutlol
is adopted upon the vote at the nex'
election. wherein not over one-qaartel
of the citizens of the State can vote, ,the
question will some day be raised, anc
the new Constitution will itself be hello
illegal and void.
ELLERY NJ. BRAYToN.
Columbia, June s, 1894.