Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-09
HOW WILL IT ALL END? The Political Situation in South
 Carolina Badly Mixed. LOOKS LIKE GAG LAW With Tillman's Followers Doing the CaggIng Act-Gov.
 Evans Action.

more extraordinary than at any other pe- riod in the past five remarkable years. Last summer one of the main issues of the campaign was whether or not constitu- tional convention should be called. The reformers, or Tillmanites, fought for 1t and the conservatives, or strafght-out dem- ocrats, strongly opposed 1t.
 At the general election the opposition faction was refused representation on the board of managers, and small majority was returned in favor of the convention, accompanied by a storm of protests from all over the state and general charges of fraud.
 At the December session of the legisla- lure an act was passed providing for special registration, it being known under the registration law as it stood the acts of the legislative convention could not stand the test of the United States courts. This act perm itted those who were entitled to register in 1S92 but did not do SO, to reg ister now under certain conditions (they were completely barred under the consti- tutional law). Those who had moved into the state, changed their residence or lost their certificates were also allowed by the act to register, the con- ditions imposed in tach case being that the applicant for registration must make affi- davit as to each detail, tims and place of former registration, where the interme - diate years had been spent, number of for-i mer tickets, etc. said affi1avit 10 be sworn to as true Of their own knowledge by two competent witnesses. The act also pro- vides that the attorney general should pre-l pare and send out the various blank forms for these affidavits.
 It was stated on the stump by Senator Tllmau that the object of this convention was to insure white supremacy iu the state for al be disfranchised, but is was generally un- derstood that the s'Mississippi plan' was the one proposed, and that, perhaps, it was intended to incorporate the dispensary in the constitution.
 The conservatives, having declared for honest elections and having been deprived of any represen tation at the polls last No- vember, have received the sympathy of negroes and republicans, who are willing to support them in preference to making fight for themselves, and the expressed purpose of the administration be- ing to disfranchse them. So when on Monday the special ten days of registration began there were hundreds of negroes at every court house in the state. It was then found that the authorities had only furnished the registrars with samples of the forms of affidavit instead Of a supply for use, and it was with difficulty that samples were obtained from which to print affidavits, and in at least one instance u written on a blank which the state had not furnished and which the state would not furnish.
 The first day of registration was practi- cally lost by these delays, many men who came from n distance returning to their homes without reg gstering. Ia 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 appointe of the ad- ministration and a member of that faction.
 The proceedings of the week reached climax yesterday when Governor Evans re- moved three notaries public in Sumter county. It was openly charged that he did so because they took the affidavits of negroes who desired to register, these afi- davits being made necessary by the act above referred to. Governor Evans was asked about this today. H. said the men had been removed because some tdecento people in Sumter had reported to him that they were making themselves "obnox- ious' by taking the affid davits of negroes.
 The publicans have taken this as their strongest ground to knock out the acts of the convention when it meets in August. They have hundreds of other citizens on which to make the fight in the United States courts and are confident that the &C., tion of the convention cannot stand. The conservatives believe the only hope now is for the reformers 10 unite with them for honest elections. The negroes say they do not expect or desire to control the state, but they do wish to vote.
 Last fall registration certificates were distributed among reformers after the lime to register had expired, aud as few of them are attempting to register now, 1t IS said that the plan is contemplHt d before the election for de rates. The legislature re- fused to provide Tor both factions having representation At the DO
 MinCe pe9 are All he mora delicious