The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-03-19
AN EXTRA SESSION ASKED.
The Negroes Make. an Appeal to tho
Governor For Another Registra-

Governor For Another Registra-
| tion.
A committee from the Colored Min
isterial Union, headed by Ex-Congress-
man George w. Murray, waited upon
Governor Evans last week in regard
to the registration matter, and made
the request Of him to call the State
Legislature In extra session, for the
purpose OF allowing further time for
the registration Of colored voters.
averring that the ten days allowed by
the act have been entirely insufficient
and inadequate to permit of the re-
gistration of those qualified voters who
applied. The coInmittee waited on
the Governor at the executive cham
Der and presented to him the follow
Ing paper, making statements in ac-
cord herewith
AS represcntates OF the Miuisto-
rial Union and the Republican party
organized to aid the masses in auali-
Tying themselves to discharge the
highest function of citizens b ip in order
that thoy might takc part in choosing
delegates to the Constitutional CON
vention. in which tho stains Of their
citizenship is to be fixed or DESTROYED,
having received advices from ali parts
OIL the State relative to tho manner,
conduct, and extent of registration
during the ten days set apart for re-
gis,ration which arc exhausted
today, wo assure you that not moro
than 10000 electors were register
ed within the entire State and
that inany more than 100000, after
unparailed exposure, suffering and
sacrifices, remain unregistered and dis
francisco and that tho four, remaining
days under the law, namely the first
Mondays in April, May, June and July
are wholly inadequate, therefore in
behalf OF these thousands of wronged
and injured persons, we call upon your
excellency to pray that the Legislature
be convened in extraordinary session
to provide means whereby these more
than hundred thousand citizens NAV
qualify themselves to exercise their
constitutional right in the selection of
delegates.
We respectfully submit that stat
utes creating such conditions as re-
quire electors to travel from ten to
ifty and seventy-Gve miles to the
various county seats and to expose
themselves in sunshine, rain and cold
for weeks in endeavoring to qualify
themselves, and to have been sent
aways at the end of which without
even an opportunity to register, to saf
nothing OF their unconstitutionaliM
are too cruel and barbarous for The,
civilization of the age.
We further submit that the time
set apart for registration is whollTin-
sufficient Under recent decision OF
the Attorney General in re:ating to
placing the penalty On delinouents In
the collection OF taxes, persons who
were in the tax Office during the period
for paying the same and failed of an
opportunity, are exempted from the
penalties, and we claim that registra-
tlon as conducted in our State is anala-
gous to paying taxes, and that cleo
tors who did all they could to qualify |
themselves within the prescribed pc
riod and manner are not entitled to the |
penalty of disfranchisemcnt.
"W. d. CHAPPELLE,
"R. e. HART,
GEO. w. MURRAY"
Governor Evans informed the CON-
mittee that he would take the matter
into consideration, and asked that the |
paper be turned over to his private |
secretary. Ho told the committeeman |
that he thought they were unduly OK
citod over the matter. The matter
was resulting in no moro injury to |
them than to tho white people who |
had net registered. He, however,
promised the committee to lot them |
have areply rs early as possible.