The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-08-23

SUFFRAGE IN ALABAMA.

| composed of two distinct plans, one of
| which is temporary and the other perma
| nent.
The temporary plan, after providing a
| list of voters for life, expires on January
l, 1903 1t is under this part of the article
that the grandfather clause" which
caused so long IA discussion, has its place.
The permanent plan provides wholly
different set of qualifications to affect new
| voters as they come on. The temporary
scheme bears unequally on the races; the
| permanent plan makes no discrimination
whatever.
Some features are common to both.
Under both plans man must be citizen
of the United States, or if Il foreigner
| must have declared his intention to become
declaration he does not perfect his citizen
ship his name will be removed from the
list of registered voters.
Another feature common to both plans
is poll tax of 81 so, which every voter is
| required to pay until he is As years old
All poll taxes must be paid by February
preceding the election.
Still Another feature included in both
plans is Acknowledgement for conviction
of crimes. The list of crimes is greatly
| extended, and, besides felonies which haye
| always operated as dsfranchisement in
Alabama, includes assault and battery on
the wife, vagrancy, selling or offering to
| sell ones own vote or the vote of another,
| either in a regular election or in Il party
primary, and suborning any witness or
| registrar to secure the registration of any
person.
Under the temporary plan any voter
who applies to register must possess one
| of the following qualifications, besides
having paid his poll tax if under 45 years
of age:
First. He must have honorably served
| in the land or naval forces of the United
| States in some war or in the land or naval
| forces of the Confederate States or of the
State of Alabama in the Civil War
Second Or he must be lawful descend
| ant of some soldier who has served in war
| as provided in the previous section.
Third. Or he must be man of good
character and understand the duties and
obligations of citizenship under republi
| can form of government.
To register the voters under these quail
| ifications board of three registrars is
| provided for each county. They are to
be appointed by the Governor, Auditor
and Commissioner of A griculture. These
| registrars may be all of one party or not,
| as the appointing power may elect. No
| restrictions are put Oh the power of the
board in determining the qualifications,
| the degree of proof of service in the army
| or navy, or the standard as TO character
and understanding. Nor is any penalty
provided for any act the registrars may
commit. They are really court with
| judicial power to interpret and administer
| the law.
The rejected applicant has the right of
appeal to the Circuit Court.
Prior to the general election in August,
| 1902, the registrars must visit each pre-
| cinct least once and register voters from
population or over the boards can sit as
| many days as necessary. On Friday and
Saturday preceding the November cleo
| ton they must sit at the county towns to
| age since the August election. During
| the third weeks of November and Deem
| Der the boards most sit at the county
| towns for the general registration of all
applicants.
All who are thus registered prior to
January l, 1903, are entered on the list of
permanent voters for life, so long as they
! keep their poll taxes paid. The essential
| idea of the plan is that under the soldier,
descendant and character and understa and
| ing clauses, practically every white man
| in the State can register, while under the
discretion vested in the registrars under
the character and understanding clause,
| few negroes can attain a place in the life
| list.
Under the permanent plan, which goes
| into operation January 1, 1903, the qualifi-
cations are essentially different A man
who applies to register anew must possess
one of the two following publications., be-
sides having paid the poll-tax, if under
As years old:
First. He must be able to read and
write any article of the Constitution of
| the United States and show that he has
| been regularly engaged in some lawful
fnr tow IF 1,o
months proceeding the day on which he
offers to register.
Second. Or he must be the owner in
his own right, or the husband of wife
| who is the owner, of 40 acres of land in
| assessed at that figure for taxation in this
State, on which all taxes have been paid.
No provision is made for registrars
under the permanent plan, except that
| the Legislature must provide for registra-
ton. Under whatever plan the Legisla-
| lature may enact the registrars are given
| express power to put the applicant under
oath and require him to state where he
| has lived for the five years next proceed
| ing time of his application, the name or
| names by which he was known and the
name or names of his employer or en-
ploycrs during that period. A false state
ment in regard to these matters will be
| perjury, and will be punished as such.
| These points are not made in any way
qualifications for voting, but are intend
ed primarily to prevent large class Of
wandering laborers, especially III the
| mining districts, from attempting to reg
| lister.
The educational and property qualifca-
tions are in the alternative. The ''vag-
rant clause as it is called, under which
Il man must have been lawfully at work
for the greater part Of twelve months, is