The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-15
WILL NOT AFFECT CHATHAM.
The General Registration Law Does Not
Interfere With Local Registrations.


The Bill Said to Have Been Hurrisdly
Drafted to Meet the EFFICIENCY Of the
Consent Election for Congress in the
Tenth District-senator Osborne Calls
Attention to It's Faulty Features.
Chatham's Law viii Remain Of Force
Unless It Should Be Declared Uneon-
stitutional on Some Test Case.
There has been a general desire 10 know
what figure the new general registration
law will cut in the county election here.
and as 10 whether It viii replace the local
law now OF force. Senator Osborne, who
returned to the city yesterday morning.
answers these questions in the negative.
The provisions of the law in brief are
that each voter shall be registered in a
book kept in the tax collectors office, and
that from January, 1895, each voter shall
be registered as his taxes are paid to a
time within twenty days Of the election.
Shortly before the election list Of those
who are disqualified to vote for not paying
taxes shall be made out and these lists
shall be placed in the hands of three reg
istrars. appointed by the Judge of the SUI
perior court on recommendation of the
grand jury. the board of registrars so ap-
pointed to be bipartisan. This board is
to purge the lists Of voters within fifteen
days time.
Senator Osborne says that this law was
evidently prepared to meet the exigencies
required by the consent election to be held
in the Tenth district for congressman, and
for the reason that it was hurried through
without time for due consideration, it is
far from perfect. Speaking of it from
point of view of local interest he said
There is only one way in which it could
displace the local registration law of this
or any other county, and that is by the
declaration of a court on a case brought
before IL that such local laws are uncon-
stituuonal There are about eighty-seven
counties in the state which have their
special laws, and others were added to this
list a this session of the legislature. None
Of these laws are displaced by the general
law until they are declared unconstitu-
tional on some test case that is brought in
court. In case one Of the local laws should
be declared unconstitutional or should be
repealed, the general law would take its
place in that county which lost its local
law.
80 far as Chatham's registration law is
concerned, theoretically its purpose is in
consonance with that of the general law
| just passed. The law as passed, however
! VIII not insure fair election. In the first
place the board Of registrars, who are
really a board of revsors, cannot purge
the lists in the time required by law which
is fifteen days. and the second and most
serious objection is the fact that the books
are open to public inspection. The infor-
nation in them is thus at the disposal of
! the ward heller and 1t would simply be i'm
| possible to prevent repeating. The friends
of the measure admit that the law will not
answer the purposes for which it was in
tended, and nearly all those who voted for
1t were whipped into line by newspaper
| clamor. Nobody in the legislature was
! opposed to a fair bill, but the general as
| sembly did not have time to perfect such a
| measure at this session. There is no earth
| ~ reason why the law should have passed
! at this session as there is no election in any
county to which it could apply, all the
| county elections coming too early for the
| provisions of the law to be complied with
| 1t was undoubtedly hurriedly drafted to
meet the exigeney of the consent election
| in the Tenth district. There are a great
| many other objections to the law as IL
stands, and the next session of the gem
eral assembly will probably perfect it be-
| fore it has had an opportunity to become
! operative as a general law"
/ From this it appears that the local regis
tration law for Chatham county will con-
tinue of force, unless somebody makes an
attack upon it and it is declared uncon-
! stitutional. The vote will be based upon
this registration at the county election to
be held the first Wednesday in January at
which will be elected the tax receiver, tax
| collector, sheriff clerk of the superior
court, coroner. county treasurer and coun-
ty.surveyor. So far as is known at present
there are no opposing candidates to the
| present incumbents in these Offices.