The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-03
CHOSE THE ELECTION DAY.
sHRIEVALTY CONTEST TO BE DE-
CIDED ON DEC. Fl.

County Commissioners Made the
Choice at the Special Meeting
Called for This PurpOse-Date Al
lows Thirty Days for RegistratiOn
and Twenty for Giving the Notice
Required by Law-The Shortest
Day of the Year-A Curious Omis-
sion in the Election Laws of the
State, by Which a Manager of n
Regular Election Is Permitted to
stuff Ballot Boxes without Pun
ishment.
AS previously announced, the election for
sheriff Of Chatham county, for the unex-
pired term of Sheriff Roman, wall take
place Dec q, of the present year. This
decision was reached by the County Com
missboners at the meeting of the board,
called for this purpose, yesterday morning.
The time for the election has been set
for this comparatively laIe day for the
reason that the law requires the books of
registration 10 be kept open for al least
thirty days before the date of the notice
of the time of election. AS the law re-
quires, in addition to this, that the notice
shall be given twenty days before the cleo
ton, the total number Of days that will
eapse before Dec. p is about that the
exigencies of the law demand The reg
istration books viii close on Dec. l, after
which the county registrars of elections
win go over the lists and purge them of
the names of all prospective voters, who
are disqualified or have registered Illegal
~ from any cause
The order fixing the date for the election
was introduced by Commissioner Quicken
heimer, and reads as follows:
Whereas. John T. Roman. sheriff of the
county of Chatham, departed this life on
the 18th of October, ulumo, thereby caus-
ing a vacancy in the efice of sheriff of
Chatham county;
"And, Whereas, More than six months
will elapse from the time an election can
be appointed and held 10 the expira ton of
the existing term in which said vacancy
has occurred, and time is required to COM
plete The lists of registered voters for said
election;
1T is ordered that an election for sheriff
of Chatham county to fill the vacancy for
the unexpred term in said office, caused
by the death of John T. Roman late sher-
if, be held a me Court House of said
county, on Wednesday, the 21st day of De-
eember 1889. in the manner prescribed by
law. And that due notice of said cleo
ton be given in one or more of the pub
lie gazettes of sand county and at the
Court House and at three of the most
public places of said county. twenty days
previous 10 the day of election hereby
appointed"
The order was approved and signed by
ali Of the commissioners present at the
meeting. 1t is noticeable that the cleo
ton has been ordered held on that day
of the year regarded as the shortest and
those who are actively engaged about the
polls will have less time TO make the fight
than is usual. 1t is probably because no
contest IS expected mat the comm sioners
have thought, If they have thought about
the matter at all, that the length of the
reighn of the sun on the day of the cleo
ton will make no material difference, that
Dec. p has been chosen.
The imminence OF this election brings
to the attention of the public a curious
instance of omission in the election laws
of the state. There are criminal penal
ties for almost every Illegal and wrongful
act that one can commit in connection
with an election, and for primary cleo
tons there is a special provision making
the commission of election frauds a mis-
demeanOr. 1t is curious. though that no
such provision applies to elections gener-
ally, and that a manager of an election
should he so desire can stuff the ballot
box in any way that he desires without
making himself liable to a criminal pros
ecutlon.
Mr.. j. r. Saussy, Jr.. who has given
this matter much thoughtful consideration,
was seen by a representative of the Morn
ing News and consented TO state the re-
suits of his Investigation of tbe law hear
ing on the subject. MIR. Saussv stated thar
his attention was first ORA n To the ones
ton by his discovery of gross irregnlari
ties in the election Of last October when
he was one of the managers at one of the
precincts He had been convinced thor
the manner Of con5nct5ne t tbot eioos 4