The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-07-24

fragrant, desperate and d~ispicable |
means 10 intimidate the registrars OF
the east than were resorted TO by Hol-
ton and his revenue gang in the west.
In pursuance of this fatuous policy
he is sending kilograms 10 his bench
men in various sections directing them
TO take out warrants for b arrest OF
white registrars before United States
commissioners for properly refusing 10
register negroes who are not entitled
TO vote and before justices OF the a
for refusing 10 register white men who
may be disqualified. He is also send
ing out circulars with the same view
of intimidating registrars a copy OF
which we furnish TO our readers:
Office OF
Peoples Party statev Exc. committee
Raleigh, y. c., July is, 1900.
My Dear Sir:
! have already sent you blank form
of affidavit and warrant for the arrest
of any registrar who violates section
$50 of the federal election laws, but,
as you know, this law only covers dis
ordinations against the negro voter.
= nave udu lllt u ~
at Winston arrested, tried, and bound
over under a two thousand dollar
bond TO the federal court for violating
that section of the federal election
law. AS soon as this proceeding was
over, the democratic politicians had
our witnesses in that case arrested UNI
der a bogus form CT procedure. We
are taking steps today TO have every
one of these politicians who took part
in having those witnesses arrested,
jerked up for contempt of federal court
and we will do it everywhere. SO you
can assure witnesses that If they are
inundated, we will punish to the full
extent of the law every man who in
timidates them in any way and land
these intimidators in the federal penl-
tentiar.y
During the last few days, l have had
many complaints from different parts
of the state saying the registrars are
now refusing to register white men VINO
are legally qualified. There are two
remedies that you have against a reg
istrar for this offence. One is under
section AZ of election law, which says
hat any registrar who fails TO per
form the duties required of him shall
be fined not less than Ave hundred
dollars nor more than one thousand
dollars, or imprisoned not more than
six months nor less than two months.
Besides. the same section, as you Will
see from reading on down, provides
that the attorney general can sue every
| registrar and recover five hundred dol
lars in addition to the above penalty.
| Read this section of the election law
to the registrar in your precinct. II
he has refused to register anyone quail
| flied to register, or if he has failed 10
| open his books at the hour prescribed
| on every Saturday at the polling place,
or if he has failed to have his books
| open at his house or place of business
| on every week day, or if he has gone
| off and left his registration books in
the hands of his son or his wife or
anyone e!ese instead OF being present
inperson 20 register you or otherS,or II
he has failed to perform any other
duty hat the law requires OF MIN then
at once have any person who mas peen
denied registration or who has 1alled
to get an opportunity to register for
any othe- cause, TO swear out at once
a warrant for his arrest before the
| nearest Justice of he peace who is a
good and reliable man, and nave ann
to issue a warrant for the arrest OF
| said registrar. 1 enclose you the blank
| form of affidavit and warrant for TINS
purpose on one sheet. his street -
marked (FOrm No. ID
The other remedy which l have re-
ferred to above and to which l refer
red in a former letter, is the writ OF
| mandamus. You can proceed TO nave
the man arrested by a magistrate, as
/ have indicated above, by using the
blank form on sheet marked NO. l. VI
you can make an affidavit and apply
to the judge of the superior court VINO
| lives in your district or the judge hold-
| ing court in your district, to issue a
writ of mandamus to the registrar, or
| dering him to register you and other
voters. This plank form OF writ OF
mandamus and blank form for the
| Judge to use to issue the writ OF man
| damus are both contained on another
| sheet marked No. 2.
In many cases 1 fear it will be i'm
possible to reach a judge and get the
writ of mandamuS issued, but you car
in every cas- resort to the other rem
edy by going before a magistrate anc
using a criminal process as set on
form No. 1. Don't fail to do this, be-
cause when the registration books close
on next Saturday it will then be toe
late, and we must make a test case Of
this law and exert every effort to pun
ish every registrar who has violated
the law. The liberties of the people OF
the state demand it. You have the
law on your side, and you have the op-
p%ortunity to enforce it and thus secure
justice. Don't fail to do it.
Now, one word more. Have you
seen to it that you are registered cor.
rectly? Did the registrar swear you:
Did he enter your name on the book,
instead of on a piece Of paper as ]
understand they are doing in many
caseS2 Did the registrar register you
himself, or vas it dore by his wife OF
son or someone else? Did you look
carefully to see that he entered your
name, a. and color properly after
your name? If no. go at once, and gel
every other voter who is Improperly
registered in any particular, small to
go back to the registrar with at least
two witnesses n demand that he re-
register you or correct the mistakes
above referred to, or any other mis-
takes that you may find that he has
made When you have done this, II
he still refuses to register you or tc
make any necessary correction, ther
read to him section ~ Of the election
law, that is, the last part Of b sec
ton, on page q, beginning with the
words @and n registrar or voter
etc, which provides that n registrar