Birmingham age-herald., 1895-06-08
SECOND EDITION.
THAI REGISTRATION CASE.
Summary of the Elaborate Arguments by the Counsel on Both Sides Court Ad-
 iourns Until Monday

Richmond, Va, June Assignments in the South Carolina registration case were begun in the United States circuit court of appeals today before Chief Jus tice Fuller, Judges Hughes and Sey- mour.
 Attorney General Barber opened for the state of South Carolina The trend of his opening remarks was that the federal courts had no jurisdiction in the premises. He said it was set forth by Judge Golf that the petitioner was a col- ored man and therfore refusal of the laws of South Carolina to permit him to vote was in violation of the fifteenth amend ment of the constitution.
 MT. Barber called the attention of the court to the fact that nowhere in the record did this fact that the petitioner was colored appear though it was com mented upon by attorneys in the lower court and very prominently brought to the attention of Judge Golf when he granted the injunction.
 The attorney general stated that in- stead of providing for a discrimination against any voters the law sets forth that any male citizen regardless of race, color or condition, who has resided in the state for one year was entitled to vote It was not the law. he said, that caused Judge Golf to hold that voters were being denied their privileges but it was the abuse of the law by people, os- tensbly working under it. He con- tended that the law should not be held responsible for direlictions of election of- ficers.
 Mr. Douglas made the opening speech for the petitioner. He prefaced his argu- ment with the statement that though he and his associate, Mir Obear appeared in n 10 of flan t-fa fr they were in no sense against the state except that they were endeavoring to bring about right. In addressing him. self to the question of the jurisdiction of the United States court he said if any thing wrong was Said-that if @ wrong was committed, and the effect of that wrong was to disfranchise a voter and thereby imperil the federal elections he contended that federal court in question had 8 jurisdiction The law, he said, was in violation of section 1, article IA, of the constitution of the United States. This denies, a voter a liberty when it takes away his vote, and there fore the court had jurisdiction to enjoin against further infractions of the consti- tuition of the United States.
 In conclusion he submitted that the law was in violation of the l4th article and in substantiation of that statement called attention to the features of the law, and said that it was almost impos-
  ate his registration from his tax receipt, or any other official paper he might have He asked the court the direct question, What class is the law directed against, the whites or the negroes?"
 Chief Justice Fuller replied that it might have been directed against either
 Mir. Douglas, continuing, attacked the law, and said it was enacted simply for the purpose of disfranchising the negro voter.
 MT Douglas was followed by MT. Obear, his associate, whose argument was largely of legal nature. He held that the court had Jurisdiction to hear and act in the case and then occupied some time in the citation of various au- 9hor1ties and cases bearing upon the matter at issue.
 Gen. Edward D. McCrady made the plosing speech for the state. He began his argument by making a careful ex- plantation of the registration laws and showing that the circumstances which existed when they were enacted Justified their passage. He compared them to various other registration laws and ar gued that they were not more unjust or discriminating than laws of other states which at various times had been declared constitutional, and thus though the laws have been in existence since 1876 their constitutionality had never been ques- tioned till 1895. He said if they had been as unjust as they were charged to be they would not have been allowed to remain so long unquestioned He claimed that the whole case was a political one and that Mills was only a. figure head hnd the speaker did not know as far as the record went whether Mills was white Dr colored.
 General McCrady closed his very brief argument by saying he thought the court was in full possession of all the facts and that it would be unnecessary for him to ask the attention of the court fur fher. The chief justice was asked if 1t were allowable to submit briefs, but none were forthcoming. Three days were given each side in which to hand in briefs to Substantiate their petitions
 The court adjourned till Monday at 10 o'clock.