Birmingham state herald., 1896-01-25
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Judge Cobb Attacks the Consttutonaty of the Alabama Election law-Will Garry
 It Before the National Convention.

Washington, Jan. 2.-(Special Corre- spondence.)-Judge James E. Cobb, rep
 resentative in congress from the Fifth
 district, in his brief filed before the com
 mittee on elections today attacks the
 registration requirements of the Sayre
 election law and points out to the com
 mittee that so much of the law is uncon- St,tutiOnal
 Judge Cobb claims that the provision of the law which requires that a voter
 must register in May so as to become
 qualified voter at the August and No- yember elections, and any special cleo
 tion that may occur is directly in con- fict with the constitution of the state, which prescribes the qualifications of tn ? voters. The state constitution says that any male citizen not otherwise disqual- flied by insanity, convicted of crime, etc, shall be allowed to vote in any election
 who shall have been in the state one year. the county three months and the precinct one month next preceding the election at which he offers to vote. Judge Cobb then gives this example: A citizen lives in Macon county and witt- in the time prescribed by the Sayre law registers in that county Immediately
 thereafter he moves to Lee county. In
 August or November he goes to the polls
 to vote, and notwithstanding that he has
 resided in Lee county three months, ,
 prescribed by the constitution of the state, he cannot vote because he has not
 registered in that county. He cannot go
 back to Macon county to vote, for the
 constitution requires that a citizen must
 vote in the county of his residence. He
 is therefore disfranchised.
 Whether Judge Cobb's contention is a
 correct one or not it only shows the
 necessity for the holding of constitu-
 tional convention. Provisions put in the
 fundamental law of the state twenty-five
 years ago to meet the exigencies of that
 day and time are not such as will serve
 the greatest good to the largest number
 of our people in this day.
 Every day your correspondent, from conversations had with prominent Ala bamians here, becomes more and mora convinced that the bill introduced in the last legislature by that energetic demo- crat. John Mcqueen, from Jefferson, looking to the calling of a constitutional convention, ought to have been enacted into law, and the conclusion is forced upon him that the wisest heads are not always the most far-seeng.
 No more powerful slogan could be given in the campaign which is just open ing than the advocacy by the de- | mocracy of reform in the fundamental | law of the state.
 To Change the Apportionment It is the intention of a number of prom | jnent democrats to carry to the national COnNeHllOI lne uueStlOH ol ICpl CoChto- | tion, which was to have been presented l to the national executive committee at l its meeting in this city last week. The matter had all been arranged and an ad- dress prepared to be laid before the com mittee, when 1t was found that the jurisr diction in the matter was not lodged with the executive committee, but with the convention itself.
 The time has come when representation in conventions must and ought to be ap- portoned in proportion to the work done | by the members of the party In the diff ferent states. It is and has been a sad commentary on justice when Pennsylva- nia which gives no assistance to the elec- ton of the party's candidates. should have an equal voice in naming the stand ard d-bearer of the party and declaring its principles as the combined vote of Ten nessee. Alabama and Arkansas.
 Senator Morgan stated before the com | mittee that he gave notice of his inten- l ton to bring the matter up later, and it was then that the fact was discovered l that the committee, being a creature of | the convention, could not determine the apportionment. but the convention itself must deal with it.