The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-02

that may be necessary. There ought to be no mistake about giving the peo- ple of this State an opportunity to register. It is bad enough indeed to have this registration system. 1t Is probably the only practical way to meet the emergencies of the case. and enroll the voters, but there ought to be no mistake and no slip up in giving them the opportunity to register and become life voters under this tempo rary plan: that is, those who are eligi- ble and can be registered under it.. News does not spread rapidly in the country. The country beats are large in some portions of the State, and the people there are not in the habit of giving immediate obedience to any summons except the processes of the court. All the people who are entitled to register will not turn out if the reg istrars are to be in their beats only one time. It will take more than that. It will take the first opportunity which is offered to the thoughtful, and then it will take the second opportunity for the listless.
 MT. Walker (Madison)-Suppose all of the voters are registered in one day. Why require the registrars to go back to that beat on another day?
 Mir. Fitts-If they can certify that l that beat on the first visit, then of course the law ought not to require a useless thing, but I think that they ought to go to the people as often as is necessary to give them an opportun- ity to register.
 MT. Bethune--If I understand the gentleman's amendment, it means that the registrars must remain at each beat two days or go twice and remain two days each time?
 MT. Fitts-Go twice and remain two days.
 MT. Bethune-That would be four days altogether?
 MT. Fitts-Yes sir.
 MT. O'Neal-Why not amend so as to provide that they should remain there if necessary two days?
 MT. FittS-I am willing to accept that amendment, I know my time is short, but I know that there are portions of this State where this idea of having three men pass upon the rights of vot, CTS to be registered is the dangerous proposition in this subdivision.
 This to my mind. is freighted with more danger than any other portion of this plan. The people object to the mere idea that three men are to be set up as the judges of the qualifications of the voters in this State. They object to this entire feature of the plan.
 Mir Hood-The amendment offered by the gentleman from Tuscaloosa would require one hundred and twenty days for registration in the county from which I hale-Etowah. In that coun- ty we have thirty beats. To require this Board of Registrars to visit each beat twice and to stay at each beat two days would require 120 days in that county. In the county of Etowah we have a town of nearly 5000 people It would only give four days under his amendment, to register the people in the town of Gadsden. We have two other towns in that county, one of about 1000 inhabitants. and 1t would only give four days to register the vot- CTS in those two precincts. Now, MT, President it Is provided here that these registrars may remain in any one beat longer than one day if necessary. If the sixty days time named here is not sufficient in any one county, or in the several counties of the State, then if an amendment would be submitted ex- tending the sixty days to seventy days or seventy-five or eighty days, it seems to me that the trouble complain ed of by the gentleman from Tusca- loosa would be relieved. Now this reads MT. President. as follows: Prior to the first day of August. 1902. the Board of Registrars in each county shall visit each precinct at least once. and oftener if necessary, to make a complete registration of all persons entitled to register"
 With that provision. if the sixty days is not sufficient. then that trouble can be relieved by giving a longer time than the sixty days and it would not get us in the -atti- tude or in the condition that we would be in in Etowah county should the amendment of the gentleman from Tuscaloosa be adopted. and I daresay that there are many other counties in this State that would be in a similar condition. Any county that has twenty or twenty five beats in it would be in the same condition. It would take one hundred and twenty days in Etowah county, as I have stated; so l move to lay the amendment of the gentleman from Tuscaloosa on the table. Upon vote being taken division was called for, and the motion to ta- ble prevailed by 65 ayes to 31 noes.
 MT. Williams (Marengo)-I have an amendment and the committee 1nti- mate that they are perfectly willing to accept it, to strike out 1000 and in | serL 900 square miles.
 The amendment was read as follows: Amend the amendment as amended | by Mir. Foster by striking out 1000 and inserting 9OO'
 Mir. White-The committee is willing to accept that and asks unanimous consent to accept.
 Consent was given and the amend ment was allowed.
 MT. Hood-I move to strike out the word sixty" in line %. and substt Lte in lieu thereof the word seventy
 The committee agrees to that 1mcnd- | ment.
 Mir. Long CWalker)-I have an | amendment.
 MT. Oates-Thcre is an amendment | preceding that-the amendment strik- ing out sixty days and putting in sev- enty I rise to object to that.
 The President-The Chair submitted that question.
 Mir. Oates--I do not rise for the pur- pose of making a speech but I want to say that 1 think it is wholly unneces- sary---. .':
 MT. Long-I had the floor
 Mir Oates-This amendment prec a1as that.
 The President-The Chair was under the impression that he had submitted the amendment offered by the cCnJie- man from Etowah, MT Hood, but finds that he has not done so.
 MT. Long (Walker)-Can I offer an minutes of the time of this Conven-