The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-03-22
WHY THE SIMMONS ELECTION LAW
SHOULD BE CONDE NED.


an election law which, In the hour
OF his. burial, his most devoted
worshippers agreed to repeal be-
cause OF its unfairness."
When the editor Of the Biblical
Recorder finds time to examine the
provisions OF the Simmons election
law In this State, he will find that 1t
Is not only modelled after the Goebel
law OF Kentucky, but that it has
been amended and made even more
Infamous.
Some OF the points In which the
two laws are similar In their pro-
visions will be seen from the fol-
Lowing paragraphs from the two
laws put in parallel columns:
aoKBEL ELECTION SIMMONS ELECTION
LAW LAW,
Sec. 1. The gen Sec. 4. That there
eral assembly shall shall be State
at its present ses- Board of Elec tiOns
sion elect h re g consisting of sew
commissioners who en- discreet per-
shall be styled sons who shall be
The State Board electors, elected by
of Election Com the General AS
mlssiOners." sembly az It's pres
Sec. 3. Said State ent session.
Board of Elec. Sec. &. That there
tionCommissioner s shall be In every
shall annually, not oountyin the State
later tha n the county board of
month of Septem- elections consist
Der, appoint TIN eel ing of three dis
Election Commits erect persons who
sioners for O a @ h are electors in the
county, who shall county in which
be styled "The they are to act,
Election Board of who shall be ap-
County Commits pointed as herein
sioners." after provided by
Sec. 3 Said coun- the State Board of
ty board shall an Elections.
nually, not later Sec. 7. That it
than the month OF shall be the duty
October, appoint OF the cOu y
for each election board of elections
precinct in the in each county to
county, two jud ges, appoint all regis
one clerk and one trars and Judges of
sheriff of election election in their
to act as such in respective coun-
their precinct. ties.
There are other features in the
Simmons law, giving unlimited
power for fraud to the registrars,
not contained in the Goebel law.
Under the Goebel law all Of the
registrars were not of the same po-
litical party. Under this law ev-
cry registrar in the State, from
mountains to sea, will be ma
chine Democrat Of the Simmons
stripe, II such can be found. The
law requires new registration, and
then gives to the registrar the pow
err to ask persons offering for regis
tration an unlimited number OF
questions. The law cites ten or
twelve questions, and then says
the registrar may ask any other
question that he may regard ma
terial, and that he can refuse to
register a party IL he is not salts
fed with any or all Of the answers.
It permits the registrar to require
every person offering to register to
prove his exact age by two other
voters. The law does not say that
the voter must prove that he is
twenty-one years Of age or more
but the registrar can require him
to prove his age. So with an un-
principled registrar there Is not q
voter in the State who is known to
belong to any party other than the
Democratic party who could be safe
In applying for registration, with.
out having first secured two voters
who knew his age and wino could
swear to it, and take them with
him to the registrar. Remember
that a.! gnls unlimited power is
Gwen to a registrar WHO'S not even
sworn. Besides, remember that the
supervisory powers which the jul
dietary has in the past had over
registrars and other officers has
been entirely taken away by this
law, and little registrar is clothed
with all of these judicial powers
and from his decision there is ne
appeal. Is this provision fair? Is i
Just? Is it not dangerous to pu
such power in the hands of on
man, even If he were the wises
and best man in the State, anC
were in addition sworn to do hi
duty? There can be but one pur
pose in framing such an election
law, and that purpose is to disfran
chise the votes of enough sovereign
electors by the arbitrary ruling o
a registrar to make it possible 10
the Simmons Machine to triumph
in defiance of the will Of the major
ity of the people. The purpose @
the law is to disfranchise voters b.
the wholesale by keeping thei
names of the registration book:
and then to steal votes by tn
wholesale II still necessary to a.
complish the ends Of unscrupulou
politicians.
The Biblical Recorder and ever
other religious paper should ne
only expose the infamous featur'
of this law and its purpose to ste'
votes and corrupt the ballot bo
but they should appeal to evel
disciple of Christ in the pulpit
raise up his voice and appeal to tt
reason and conscience OF the sta
To condemn this effort to legali: