Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-18
REGISTRATION THIS FALL
Will Bring Out the Party Affiliations Of the
Partisans.
VOTERS WILL BE ASKED TO INDICATE IT
Failure to DO So VIII Operate to
Prevent Their Participation in
Subsequent Primaries of Their
Respective Parties.
rs WILL BE ASKED TO INDICATE IT

The republican county committee is in
auguratihg steps to secure the fullest regis
tration possible this fall in view OF the open
Ing OF the registraton booths on Thursday
and no effort will be spared to urge upon
every voter the Importance Of early enroll
ing himself for participation in the coming
election and subsequent primaries OF the
party.
Voters who have not famiiiarized them
selves with the provisions Of the new law
enacted by the last session Of the legislature
for the protection OF primary elections anu
conventions of political parties are apt TO
encounter, when they present themselves ior
registration, a surprise in one OF the ques-
tions that will be propounded to them by the
registering officials. What political party
do you desire to affiliate With VIII Oe Ihe
pertinent inquiry leveled at each applicant
for place on the voting list. rms question:
will not be prompted by the. idle curiosity
OF the official propoundlng It, nor oS any
reprehenslble ambition on his part to pry
into the secrets OF the voter, put oecauSe 'ie
law directs him to ask It,
The law effecting this requirement was
Introduced at the last session by Senator
Van Dusen of Douglas county and approved
April a. providing that the first registration
OF voters under the act shall be had at the
state registration in the fall OF 1879. Re-
Earding the necessity of indicating the party
affiliation Of the voter it provides:
I'm order that none but those affiliating
with and being members of any political
party shall participate in any primary cleo
tion held by such political party, a system
for the registration OF such persons is hereby
provided. and such registration shall be con-
Quoted in form and manner as follows, to-
Ir oil Of whatever
class, in which a registration law is in force
under the provisions of the general law gov
erning regular state elections, there shall
be set aside on the regular registration books
used for the purpose OF registering persons
who are qualified 20 vote at the next regular
state election, space for the registration o
all persons who may desire to take
part in any primary election held by any
political party. Such space shall be pro-
vlded on the regular state registration books
Immediately following the last perpendicu-
larly-rued column in such books, and shall
be headed as follows: Party Attliation.
IT shall be the duty OF the supervisors o.
registration of such regular state registra'
tion to ask each person who applies to bt
registered the question, What politica
party do you desire to affiliate with? Ant
the name OF the political party given b!
such person so applying to be registered
shall be recorded in the column provided OF
the books OF registration for that purpose.
''In case any person applying to be reg
istered does not desire to state his part!
afIlation, he shall not be required to do so
nor shall his failure so to do act as a ba
to his registration for the purpose of votinl
at any election held under the provision:
of the general election law, but only at
primary election"
Various Provisions.
The law further provides that the com
mittee or governing authority of any polit
ical party desiring to conduct a primar
under the provisions OF the act shall hav
tho right to copy the names Of all person
registered on the regular state registratio
books as affiliated with such political part
iuto books provided by such committee o
governing authority, a book being provide
for each precinct in which 1t is propose
to hold n primary under this law. Th
names of all persons registered in each pre-
. cinct on the registration books shall be cop
led into the books provided by the commtte
for such precinct. with the residence of eac
person registered. Provision is made fo
the registration of persons who are neces
sarily absent at the dates of registratio
and for correcting omissions from the list!
The persons appointed by any committee
any political party to copy the names froI
the regular registration lists into the pri
mary registration lists must first be swor
by some officer authorized to administer a
oath, binding themselves to faithfully an
honestly discharge such duty. and a penalt
OF from 800 to $500 fine and from siXt
days to one years Imprisonment is provide
for registering in the primary lists name
not in the regular registration, for re
fusng to copy any names of persons entitle
to be copied. The same penalty applies
any person, other than the parties seecte
for the copying, for the same offenses. Th
parties selected to do the copying must sig
their lists and deliver them to the committe
under the direction of which the copying
done, to be by 1t delivered to the prmar
election officials.
Legal Opinions.
A number OF attorneys were consulted a
to the effect of the above provisions in case
in which the voter demurs to the inquir
into his political preferences. and all agree
that any voter who does not care TO answe
need encounter no obstacle to his preserN
ing the secrecy Of his party atfiliation, bl
in order to do so he must effectually II
Inquish the right TO participate in IL
primaries OF his party Immediately follow
ing the registration at which he refuses
answer. The law appears to leave it options