The San Francisco call., 1896-06-26
Only Thirty.Eight Days Left for
Over Sixty Thousand
Citizens.
WILL WAKE UP FOR THE RUSH
Registration Ends Three Months
Before Election and Many Will
Be DiSfranchiSed.

There is danger that thousands OF the
citizens of San Francisco Will be disfran-
chised this year through failure to get
their names on the great register under
the new conditions which rule reglstra-
ton this year. This danger is being espe-
cially urged by a. Ruef, chairman of the
registration committee of the State Cen.
tral Committee, and by members OF the
County Committee.
No citizen OF this City who is not prop
erly registered nearly three months before
election day may cast his ballot on No
vember 3. The coming campaign is one
which will enlist the interest of every
voter in the land, and it is especially in
cumbent on Republican voters to see that
the power of their ballots is not lost In the
coming momentous issue through their
own negligence.
The danger described lies in the radical
chang in the registration programme
which the mass of the citizens have not
realized. By acts of the last Legislature
registration in San Francisco now begins
100 days before the general election and
continues for seVenty-tive days.
Registration at the City Hall thus De-
gan May y and will end August 3.
Whether or not the usual five days of pre-
cinct registration should follow has been
disputed question owing to the uncer-
tainty of the mixture of amendments to
the law, but Registrar Hinton has decided
to hold precinct registration and 1t is not
likely to be contested.
The fifth day of precinct registration
will be August and with the close OF the
books on that day the last chance of any
citizen OF San Francisco to get on the
will q
registered then he will not vote.
Voters are so used to the old law which
allowed registration up to within few
days of election day that they are just
naturally putting it off, thinking that
there is plenty Of time. Many have gone
and are going away on vacation trips
which viii keep them away until after
August 8, and when they come back they
will be surprised to find that they will
have no vote to cast this fall. Everybody
who is putting off registration is laying
up trouble and annoyance for himself by
waiting, for time, very soon to come,
when he will have to take his place in a
long line when the rush comes.
Twenty-four of the seventy-five days of
central registration have gone and but $50
day are now being registered. II this
lasts a few days longer 1T will become a
physical impossibility to register the ap-
plIcants. To register the full vote will re-
Quire an average OF $500 registrations a
day. This illustrates the danger and the
prospects of the rush the beIated ones will
find themselves in few days hence.
"Republicans in San Francisco mus
wake up to the necessity of getting regis
tered at once," said a. Ruef, yesterday,
''for there is danger that great many will
be disfranchised.
sit is not generally realized that the
change in the law closes registration nearly
three months before election day, and the
voters who are used to registering along to-
ward election time careiessly think, oh
well, there's plenty of time.
But there isn't plenty of time. Twenty
four of the seventy-five days have gone
and but about 5000 have registered. Nearly
1000 day will have to be registered from
now on to get all the voters on the regis
ter, and you can see what is coming.
1.-The people are thinking that while reg
istration begins early this year it keeps W
till about the usual time, and they have
got into the habit Of waiting antil thirty
days or so before election. But this We
it closes three months instead os fiftee 4
days before election. This change wa
made to give an opportunity to purify the
register. People are going to the country
to be gone for weeks, a time of rushin&
and crowding is near at hand and al
around there is danger, and in fact a GER
tainty, that many voters will lose theiI
chance to vote because they have not at
tended to their registration.
This matter is of special Importance tC
the Republicans, and they should be
urgod to attend at once to registration BY
every possible means"