The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-29
EXPENSES LIGHT.
THE NEW CITY ELECTION LAW As
IT'S SAID To BE.

Its Features Compared With Those
of the Osborne Australian Ballot
Law-The Expensive and Inconve-
nfent City Registration Done Away
With-Gives independence 10 the
Voter. Protects Him in the Dis
charge of His Duty and shuts out
the Observation-Disclosures on Paper
Only Can Not Preside as Managers
When This Law Is Passed.
The new law to take the pace Of the
present city election law. known as the
Osborne Australian ballot law. the bill for
which IS TO be introduced in the legisla-
ture this week. is regarded with favor by
those who have been given the oppor:u-
nifty OF examining the bill.
The bill was prepared by committee Of
gentlemen Of the Liberal Cub. after fun
discussion OF the question and mature
consideration Of all the questions involved.
It's advocates claim for it that it is the
fairess and at the same time the simplest
measure that was ever evolved for this
purpose. ard that it viii come nearer 70
giving Savannah fair elections than any
measure that has yet been devised It is
claimed for it that il viii insure fair
and honest election with the least friction
between the parties. and that it does away
with the Interference of voters by strikers
and heeleFs and reduces the opportunities
for dealing in votes 10 a minimum.
THE Osborne election law was TOO cum
bersome and too expensive. and it entire
/ ly failed OF its purpose. if that purpose
was TO insure an honest election" said
/ a well-known Liberal leader. The bill
/ went so largely into details that it was
/ necessary for even the most intelligent
voters to devote considerable study TO it
/ In order to vote intelligently. The result
! was that ignorant men who had been well
| trained by the party heelers cast their
votes properly, while prominent citizens
/ ex-Mayors, ministers and others, failed 70
I have their votes counted because they
folded their tickets wrongly or used too
much ink in making their mark in the IN
/ sigma at the head of the ticket. The
/ real object OF the Osborne law was to
force the voter TO vote a straight ticket
/ and in this il was fairly successful. II
Z utterly failed to secure secrecy of the
( ballot and to prevent the purchase OF
I votes. All who had any experience In the
+
! cent elections are aware of these facts.
/ The division OF the city into
twenty registration precincts, and com
I polling a separate city registration, was
/ a hardship and a nuisance upon the citi-
zens The main prerequisite to becoming
a registered voter under the Osborne law
I was that man should have paid his city,
state and county taxes. The new law re-
ouires the same thing, only all that 1t
& Of Z fG . shall
sent the evidence that he has paid his
( taxes, as required The county registra-
/ ton is the best evidence of the payment
of the state and county taxes. and is
adopted for this purpose, the list of city
tax delinquents being checked against IL
to insure the payment of city taxes. The
/ city taxpayer will not be compelled, un-
der the new law to lose valuable time
standing in line al the court house to pay
his taxes, and more valuable time in reg
istering in his city precinct, and the con-
duct Of the polling places will be so reg
ulated under the new law that he viii lose
but little time in casting his vote.
THE new law consolidates all the polling
places at the court house, where they can
be under the immediate supervision of the
police force Adequate police protection
was impossible when there were twenty
districts to be looked after. There VIII
be only seven polling places with fourteen
managers and as many clerks paid for
one days service. Instead of forty-eight
registrars and managers paid for five days
services each. The last two elections have
been very expensive. costing the city sew
eral thousand dollars each. The next cleo
tion if held under the new law. should
cost the city less than one-third what the
| last one cost.
1.-The candidates must print their OWE
ballots Each voter can make up his tick
ct TO suit himself, put il in his pocket
and take his place in line. where he is
protected from any outside interference
whatever. Even the next man in line is
forbidden to discuss the election with him
At the ballot box he will find no chal-
lenger to question his right to vote. Thai
rests entirely with the managers. The
parties who endeavor to purchase votes
will have no guarantee that their goods
are delivered. There will be no challeng
ers at the boxes to see that the voter puts
in the right ticket and to hand him a CT
gar after he votes. The strikers and heel
ers will find their occupations gone. The
police are required to preserve order anC
enforce the law, which forbids anyone L
approach within fifty feet of the poll:
except those in line to vote.
zone of the best features of the law i
that relating to managers. No person caI
serve as a manager of election who is no
the owner In his own right of not less thai
: 1850 of city property of assessed valua
ton for taxable purposes and recorded il
the records of Chatham county not les
: than six months previous to the election
This means that bona fide' freeholders an,
not the manufactured article will presid
at the next election. Another good featur
is that the law encourages independence
! A man is not compelled 10 write out hi
[ whole ticket if he doesn't wish TO vote tn
ticket of his party. He can scratch a
much as he pleases and the ticket goe
l just the same.
, THE registration list is in the hands o
the county tax collector, and no one vii
| question the integrity of the gentleman
who now holds that office or voice any sus
J picon that he would permit any under
handed work. There Is a decided advant
T age in not publishing the registration list
as with copies of the lists only in the hand
= of the managers the heelers viii not hav
the opportunity of using the names of reg