The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-24

i " tsft Ao " ncCc1EAIy uo RfDpcTtt eAJE~ guard the registration under the plan
 proposed by the committee, in order to secure . complete and perfect reg
 istration of the qualified electors in the State.
 The suggestions I make relate alone to the registration of the life electors, as provided in the report of the corp- mittee The entire plan for such regis tration IS contained in Section 10 as re- ported by the committed. (See page 3 or Report, Section lO). This section provides: The General Assembly, shall provide by law for the registration, af- ter the f1rst day of January, 1903, of all qualihed electors. Until tine first day Of January. 1903, all electors shall De registered under and in accordance with the requirements of this section, as follows" Then follows seven sub divisions of Section 10, setting forth the plan of registration, which the committee proposed.
 1t is provided in one of said sub. divisions that unless he shall become disqualified--any one who shall regis ter prior to the first day of January, lSe3, shall remain an eleotor during life, and shall be required to re-regis- ter only in case of a change of resi- dence, on production of his certificate" (Report. p. B. line 13). It will be noted therefore. first, That the persons reg istered under the plan proposed in Sec ton 10 will be voters for life-will con- stitute a life electorate whose status as such will be beyond the control of the Legislature.
 Second-If there is a defect in the plan proposed by the committee, it will be beyond remedy after the rati- dcation of the Constitution, because that section purports to be complete in itself; to set forth all that 1t is pro- posed shall be enacted on the subject embraced in said section. It is self executing. The Legislature cannot change 1t. This being true, gives to this section an increased importance. Any plan or registration. which may fix the status of every voter in the en- tire State during life, should be well hedged about to prevent fraud in the registration. No plan of ballot reform based upon fraudulent registration, or based upon a plan of registration uneer which fraud Is possible, is de- serving or a name. These copsidera- tions make 1t necessary that the plan of registration should be hedged about with proper safeguards, so as to pro- vide not only for full and fair regis tration, but also to prevent any fraud in it's execution. Unless proper safe guards are thrown around the registra- tion. the Convention wilR discredit itself before the thoughtful men of the State. The greatA at argument made in favor of the calling of the Convention was to purify the ballot. If the plan proposed by the committee admits of greater fraud than now exists or If 1t admits of any fraud whatever, 1t should be amended so as to prevent 1t. No man who really desires the purification of A, AoJ ment of the plan proposed. which will insure the people of the State a full. correct, and honest registration. And no man who is appointed Registrar, and who intends faithfully and hon. estly to perform the duties devolving upon him as such, can or will object to any reasonable amendment, which will insure the proper performance of that duty, by fixing penalties for any failure on his part honestly to perform those duties. No Registrar should be held. or sought to be held liable for any mistake of judgment on his part, but he should be held liable criminaily for a dishonest or corrupt performance of his duties. The plan proposed by the committee does not do this. I, therefore. suggest the following amend ment:
 First-The first arre ndment I suggest is to provide that no name can be reg istered except on the personal applica- tion of the voter, and that no one man can register for another. If the Registrars can register a man without his knowledge, they can register name without their being any voter of that name; and they can register man against bi- will; and they can register one man for another. Unless it is provided that no registration shall b. made except on the personal appif- cation of the voter, and that one man cannot register for another, the flood gates of fraud and corruption will be open wide, and our State will be more than ever at the mercy of those who are willing to commit fraud at the bal lot box. The danger of such course. 1t seems would be apparent. That lie electorate of this State can be reg istered without the personal ap- plication of the voter would be revolutionary. The report of the committee does not require a personal application by the voter be- fore his name can be registered on the list of life voters. It does not even re- quire an application under oath to reg ister. Section 3, page F, line 62, sim ply gives the Board of Registers pow CT to examine under oath or affirmation all applicants for registration 1t does not require the application to reg ister to be made under oath, 1t gives the Board power to examine the ap- plicant under oath, but does not in ex- press terms require the application to be made under oath. Under the plan embodied in the report. the registrars can ride along the road or sit in their office, and register any name that may come into their minds. They can reg ister every man who lives in the coun- ty none of whom need know that they are being registered.
 They can register every man who ever did live in the county, whether living or dead. It may be replied that the Registrars will not do this; that Is not the question. can they? If they can. the plan should be amended so they cannot. I therefore suggest, as an amendment. the following:
 Insert between line 61 and 62 on page F, the following: No person shall be registered, except on his own per sonal application, under oath to the Board of Re registrars, upon a blank fur nished by the Secretary of State, and prepared under the advice of the At torney General, with the view to test ing fully the qualifications of each ap- plicant for registration, and to furnish full and accurate evidence afterwards as to his personal identity. The Board of Registrars shall endorse on each ap- plication its correct date, and whether registration is granted or denied to the applicant"