The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-09
CAROLINA'S POLITICAL CHAOS.
THE NEW REGISTRATION LAW A
DONE OF CONTENTION.

The Negroes and Republicans Ex-
pected 10 Back the CONSERVATIVES
In Their Fight Against ia Claim
That IL Can Not stand the Test OF
the United states COurts-Three No.
taries Public of sumter County Re
moved.
Columbia, s c.. March s.-The pollt-
ical situation IN South Carolina to-day is
more extraordinary than at any period in
the past five remarkable years.
Last summer orc OF the main issues
Of the campaign was whether or not a
constitutional convention should be called.
The reformers, or "Tinmanites." fought
for 1t, and the conservatives. or straight
out democrats. strongly opposed II. At
the general election the latter faction was
refused representation on the board Of
managers. and a small majority was re-
turned I'm favor Of the convention. ac,
companied by storm Of protests from
all over the state and generel charges Of
fraud.
At the December session Of the legislat-
ure an act was passed providing for a
special registration. it being known that
under the registration law as II stood the
acts OF the constitutional convention could
not stand the test Of the United States
courts This act permitted those who were
entitled to register In 1852 but who did not
do so, to register now under certain condi-
tions 0hey were completely barred under
the existing law). Those who had moved
into the state, changed their residence.
or lost their certificates are allowed by
the act to register. The conditions i'm
posed In each case being that the appli-
cant for registration must make affidavit
as TO each detail-time and place of former
registration, where the intermediate
years had been spent, number of the for
mer ticket, etc; said affidavit 10 be sworn
to as true Of their own knowledge, by two
competent witnesses. The act also pro-
vided that the attorney general should
prepare and send out the various blank
forms for these anldavits.
1t was stated on the stump by Senator
1illman that the object of this convention
was to insure white supremacy in the
state for all time and that no white man
would be disfranchised, but it was gener-
ally understood that the mississippi
PLAN was the one proposed, and that per-
haps it was intended to incorporate the
dlspensary in the constitution.
The conservatives, having declared for
honest elections and having been deprived
Of any representation at the polls last
November, have received the sympathy
Of the negroes and republicans. who are
willing to support them in preference to
making the fight for themselves, and the
expressed purpose of the administration
being to dsfrancbise them. SO when. on
Monday, the special ten days Of reglstra-
tiOn began there were hunNreds of ne
groes at every court house in the state
II was then found that the authorities had
only furnished the registrars with sam
pies of the form Of affidavit instead Of
a supply for use, and II was with difficulty
that samples were obtained from which
to print afidavts, and IN at least one
instance supervisor refused to accept an
affidavit written on a blank which the state
had not furnished, and which the state
would not furnish. The first day Of reg
| istraton was practically lost by these de-
lays, many men who came from a dis
tance. returning to their homes without
registering. In all but three counties the
books are open SIX hours day, and about
twelve men are registered per hour on an
average. Every supervisor Of registration
is the appointee of the administration and
| a member of that faction.
The proceedings Of the week reached a
climax yesterday when Gov Evans re-
moved three notarles public In Sumter
county. It was openly charged that he did
so because they took the afiidavits Of ne
groes who desired to register, these afi-
davits being made necessary by the act
above referred to. Gov. Evans was asked
about this to-day. He said the men had
been removed because some decent" peo-
pie in Sumter had reported to him that
they were making themselves obnoxious"
by taking the ahidavits Of negroes
The republicans have taken this as their
strongest ground to knock out the acts
of the convention when it meets In Au-
gust. They have hundreds Of other cases
on which to make the fight in the United
States courts and are confident that the
action Of the convention cannot stand.
The conservatives believe that the only
hope now is that the reformers will unite
with them for honest elections. The ne
groes say they do not expect or desire to
control the state, but they do wish to vote.
Last fall registration certificates were
distributed among the reformers after the
time to register had expired, and as few
of them are attempting to register now,
it is expected that the same plan is con-
The legislature refused to provide for
both factions having representation at
the polls.