The San Francisco call., 1896-05-12
Registration Will Be Conducted
This Year Under the
General Law.
REGISTRAR HINT0N's VIEWS,
The Great Register Will Close Nearly
Three Months Before the
Election.

1t is predicted for the stuffer at the elec-
ton, the political colonizer, that he will
have most unhappy time. Judge Wal
lace, in the case of Sternberg, has set up
an example, as it were, on the gateposts
of the City showing what may happen to
him when ne is found out. Registrar Hin
ton has already begun to make prepara-
tions for the finding of him out.
He is having a careful listing made Of all
the Iodging-houses and hotels in the City,
and noting their capacity in the matter OF
housing people. In every case where
there is any notable increase in the
number of men registered from any one
of these houses over the number which
1t is known to harbor at dates remote from
the date of registration, careful investi-
cation will be made. He said yesterday:
"The Board of Election Commissioners
has put upon me the responsibility of de-
Gliding whether the work of registration
shall be done under the provisions OF the
Civil Code as amended by the last Legis-
lature or whether it shall be done under
the special act of 1887. 1 shall try to get
the matter before the Supreme Court in
some way, but if unable to do so / shall,
In the absence of any decision in the
matter, decide in favor of the amended
code-that is to say, the general law.
think it is safer to do so. Besides, while
on general principles / am in favor OF
special laws for San Francisco, because
the laws that apply to counties generally
cannot be made to fit to great city; still,
in this case, l think the general law is
better. To be sure, upon trial it may be
found to develop more ills than it corrects.
There is one thing that is reasonably
certain, however-it makes it more diff
n nn1 . : I. -
the great register be opened 160 instead
of 80 days before the election, and it must
close So days before it. This not only
gives the Registrar and the Election Com
mlssioners more time to investigate and
purge the roll of illegal voters, but it
makes it more expensive to colonize. II
viii cost money to pay the expenses of the
colony voters for eighty-fiye days previous
to the election.
'Ou the other hand, this may work q
hardship TO legitimate voters who change
their residence within that time. To be
sure transfers may be effected on the
books.
mo certificate of transfers will be given,
as that was found to develop q great evil
any holder of the transfer being able to
vote. The transfer limit is twenty-seven
days before the election. After that date
the roll stands, except as frauds are dis
covered.
The constitutional provision requires a
man to reside year in the State, ninety
days IN the city and county and thirty
days IN the precinct. If he has been reg
istered before the books are closed to him,
eighty-tive days before election, and after
ward moves into some other precinct, he
may have himself transferred on the
books.
''If colonizers, to save expense, remain
at their proper place of residence ana are
registered there, and afterward migrate
in numbers into some other districts Just
previous to the twenty-seyen days limit,
they will the more readily be followed and
watched. For these reasons / think the
general law is a better one. 1 believe that
the roll, by careful watching this year,
may be kept reasonably free from fraudu-
lent voters"