The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-20
YEAR OF PROLIFIC BIRTHS.
SCORES OF 2I-YEAR-OLD NEGROES
TURNED UP YESTERDAY.

Session TO Attend to the Cases
Were Ordered Registered, and ms
Many More Went on the Lists by
| Agreement Between COunseI-AD-
pIicnnts Had All Sorts of Ways of
Proving Their Age-Capt. Mellow
ans Office Open Until o O'Clock
Last Night.
The registration commission had practi-
| cally an all day session yesterday, sitting
both morning and afternoon, and pretty
near up to the time for closing the regis
| tration at night.
AS the result of the session about forty
names were ordered added to the registra-
ton lists by the judges, and pretty near as
many more were agreed upon between the
/ counsel for the two factions, and their
names were placed on the list without the
Intervention of the commission.
The commission turned down only about
five or six of those who came before them.
and in most every instance the party turn
ed down was a negro who did not have any
evidence to corroborate his statement that
he had just turned q years old. One of the
Il
was brought up by the Citizens Club fac
ton, who could not give any positive tes-
timony as to the payment of his state and
county taxes.
The most interesting feature of the day
was the unusually large number of 21-year-
old negroes who appeared before the COM
mission. In appearance the negroes who
appeared before the commission and sWore
they had just become q since the first day
of March, 1885, looked all the way from
II to 80 years old.
The majority of those the commission
ordered registered were negroes of this
class. In fact, all but six or eight of
those who appeared before the commits
sion were negroes who became p
years old after March l. In these
cases, however the commission would not
accept uncorroborated evidence: each Of
the candidates for registration had to
have his uncle, his aunt, his mother, his
father or the family Bible there to cor
roborate what he said with regard to his
age. April, June, August and September
We're fayorite months, and all of the wit
nesses seemed to be we'll schooled in the
dates. Sometimes the mother or the UNI
Gle, or the aunt, would get tangled up on
the testimony and say the applicant be-
came q years old in 1875 confounding the
date of birth with the date of majority,
but they usually managed to get it
Strengthened out, and the order was pass
ed directing that the applicant be regis
tered.
The two factions were represented as
usual, Messrs NJ. A. O'Byrne and Walter
c. Hartridge appearing for the Liberal
Club and Messrs. j. Ferris Cam and Jo-
seph NJ. Dreyer for the Citizens Club.
When it came to the matter of the 21-
year-old negroes, neither side appeared
to care much how it went so long as the
negro made out fair case. The two
sides took turns at putting up their re-
spective candidates, first one for the Clti-
zens Club being called, and then one for
the Liberal Club. When the 21-year-old
negroes began coming thick and fast, one
of the attorneys remarked: 1T makes
very little difference who these men be-
long to; 1t will be a case of who can get
him when the election comes,' and that
appears to be the general impression with
regard to these cases.
1t is generally considered that the army
of negroes who were born in 1876 and
their name Is almost legion, are out for
the dough-" so to speak, and in most
instances it may be a case of the highest
bidder takes the lot, and the house along
with 1t.
Whenever a party made out a prima ia
Gle case before the commission, they gave
him an order directed to the registrars in
his precinct to enter his name on the
books. 1t looked as IL the commission wou'd
never get through. AS fast as they disposed
of the cases before them in the court room,
others came in who said they had just
been refused, and their cases had to be at
tended to.
But with it all there are still a great
many names left off the list of parties who
feel they have the right to vote. Since the
registration has closed their only remedy
| is through a mandamus to the superior
court, and as this will take some time, it
/ Of a
once, in cases where parties desire to in
sist on their right. 1t Is doubtful, however,
If there will be many of these cases. The
chances are that both sides will let 1t rest
where it is and fight il out with the regis
tration they already have.
There was a big crowd at the court
house all day. The corridors were Oiled
with parties who were waiting to pay
their poll and property taxes, as it was
the last day Capt McGowan's office will
be open. AS IL was a registration day,
however Capt. MCGOWAN very kindly
consented 70 keep his office open all day
up to O'Clock at night for the payment
of poll taxes. and a great many of those
who had failed to get in up to the elev-
enth hour paid up and Immediately sought
their registration precincts.
The number of polls paid during the day
was about $50, though only about 215 re-
| ceipts were ISSUED TO those who wanted
to go and register. The last poll tax re-
celpt issued was numbered 5 ,S65, but there
are a great many more polls paid. the
money having been sent to the tax coll
lector's office by mail, and it is stll in
envelopes, which have not been opened.
The total number of polls paid. however.
will run up to about 6,OO0. The number
of persons who paid property taxes no
to ? o'clock the time for closing, was ABS.
and in round numbers the total amount
of state and county taxes paid in was
/ 4f,fa r.-f1I
against those who have not paid their
| taxes.
TO REST BENEATH THE OAKS.