Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1900-06-14

| istrar and TWO poll holders at each yOt
| ing precinct, and that all shall not be
| q ,ha Same political party. and it gives
| 10 the registrar power TO examine wit
resses as to identity age and resi-
dence of the party Offering - register.
The condition Of affairs IN North caro-
lima made this provision particla-l7
| necessary. Shortly after the colored
| man wss enfranchised he showed nim-
| self the willing tool Of the heelers and
manipulators Of the Republican party.
/ They had not those Qualities Of easy
| Identification which the white man pos
I sesses. They We're of rowing Gisposi
| ton. moved from place to place. and
could readily conceal their identity.
| For the same reason it was easy to i'm
/ port them from other communities and
to register eA-eonvihts and boys under
twenty-one years Of age. These fact5,
which made it easy for them. with liz
| tie danger Of detection to register and
vote at several different places, were
taken advantage Of by the unscrupu-
! lous Republican white bosses: and re-
| peating and fraudulent registration
were so common that it became neces-.
| sary III order to protect the white vot-
/ ers Of the State against having their
honest votes Offset by illegal and fraud
ulently registered negro votes, to pro-
vide rigid safeguards against this class
! of frauds If, therefore. the Democratic
registration laws require particularity
in these respects, they were made so to
suppress fraud and protect white suf
! frage. 1t is boldly asserted. despite,
despite Republican clamor to the con-
trary. that the white vote OF North
<;.1x
| ton: and the fact that under the cleo
tion laws of 1851, framed without
| these necessary safeguards. not less
| than ten thousand negroes were fraud
| ulently registered and voted in the gen
eral elections of 1896 and 1898 shows
that these provisions are not only wise
but necessary precautions. unless the
honest vote Of white man in North
! Carolina is to be offset by the vote CT
some negro having under the laws and
constitution of the tSate no right to
vote at all.
The other provisions of the law to
which objection has been made all look
to the same end-the prevention Of
fraudulent voting. The books are re-
| quired to be at the polling places on
! Saturday before the election for the in
spectiOn of all voters, in order that
challenges may be marked, and where
one is challenged the law requires him
to be notified and he is given hearing.
1t also gives the opportunity to chal-
| lenge on election day, if it is found
| that q party ofterlng TO vUte not EN-
titled to do so.
1t requires the election officers to
keep clear a space of fifty feet around
! the voting places, SO the voter may be
free from interference or interruption,
but it permits each political party to
have representatives within this space
as challengers and to call in witnesses
to sustain each challenge.
1t requires the ballots to be on white
paper and Of the same size, and in Or
der that no mistake may be made and
that no ballots may be rejected for
failure to comply with this provision,
the election boards are required to file
a sample ballot showing size and color
of the paper where it is easily accessi-
bic to all parties.
These are the requirements of the
law to which objection has been made,
and We submit that they are fair and
just. We invite close scrutiny of all
its terms and rely with confidence up
on the Judgment Of the people that it
is honest and will promote fair elec-
tiGns. Many Of these provisions to
which the Republicans most strenuous
~ object did no, originate with the
Democratic party, but are to be found
in the act of Congress under which the
election of 1867 was held - elect dele
gates to frame a constitution. and the
rules regulating that election and this
was the first election in which the ne
, voted in North Carolina. The act oi
Congress provides:
, That the boards of registration shall
: have power. and it shall be their duty
, before allowing the registration of any
person TO ascertain. upon such facts OF
information as they can obtain. wheth
, er such person shall be entitled To be
] registered under said act and the oatt
required by said act shall not be con
J elusive on such question, and no person
shall register unless such board shall
: decide that ne is entitled thereto; an(
! such board shall also have power Il
, examine under oath tto be administer
cd by any member of such boardl. an,
: one touching the qualifications Of an,
{ person claiming TO register.
I And among the regulations fos tn
1 election were the following:
MI. The room used for reg;6tra
] ton. whica the chairman shall havt
previously provided for the purpose
] shall BE- SO arranged that the boar
shall be separated by bar from a.
other persons who may be assembled
and those to be registered shall be al
mitjed within the bar one by one: an
5 their inG-ess and egress 50 arrange.
: as 10 avoid confusion
Ky II any challenge be made. III
q board shall before final decision, ey
+ anime the person presenting hiu1sel
! for registration n reference - II
{ cause q republication alleged an
2 shall hear any evidence that may be Cf
: tered 10 substaptiate or disprovc II
i cause Of the challenge and shall hat
power 10 summon ana compel the a.
tendance OF witnesses AID admi2iste