The Savannah morning news., 1904-04-10
REGISTRY BOOKS
HAVE NOW CLOSED
$3.50 VOTERS REGISTERED
AND SEVERAL APPLIED AFTER
THE BOOKS HAD CLOSED.


ever, Despite the Strenuous Kick
ing of Some of the DeIinquents.
Total of $50 Were Registered Yes
terday, Recently Declared Citizens
BEING Among the Number-Sixty
Foreigners Admitted to Citizen
ship Under the New Law.
At 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon the
registry books for all elections in 1904
closed. At that time a total of $3.50
voters had qualified, record which is
considered as very good, especially in
view of the fact that there is no con-
test on at the June primary. The to-
tai registration for the entire year of
1902 was $3.50.
6,13O.
Several persons presented themselves
at the Office of the registrar after the
books had closed, intending to register.
They were politely told that it was
too late. A strenuous kick was enter
ed in the majority of the cases, but
the officials positively refused to re-
open the books, with the results that
several Sa.vannahans will not vote at
the coming primary.
The announcement that the books
would close at 2 o'clock made the last
day busy one at the registrars Of
flee. A total of 1870 citizens appeared
and qualified as voters. The clerk
was kept constantly busy looking into
records, and swearing the anxious to
vote. 1t was one of the heaviest days
for work since the books opened,
though not the heaviest. The largest
number who registered in one day was
$50. the number that qualified on the
opening day.
How Foreigners Registered.
Among those who qualified on the
last day that the books were open
were six foreigners, who had been adj
mitted to citizenship in the Superior
Court a few moments before. During
the last few days quite a number of
this class qualified, and there has gen
orally been considerable time required
to find out just what was their stand
ing.
A peculiar fact noticeable about
these cases was that all of the new
citizens had come to Savannah after
March l, according to their state
ments. This was just far enough back
to free them of paying the poll tax,
etc. In a majority of the cases the
city directory for 1900 showed that
the men were in the city at that time
The result was that many back taxes
were paid up at once so that the voters
might be eligible.
Sixty Odd New Citizens.
Within the last week or ten DAYS
there have been sixty odd new citizens
admitted, after subscribing to the oath
of allegiance. OF this number forty
two were admitted in the City Court
and the remainder in the Superior
Court. All nationalities are represent
| ed.
The greatest number of the new citi-
zens came either from Greece or Rus
STA, with the Greeks leading by a
small majority. Among the bunch
there were also several Italians, Syr-
ians. and six or eight subjects of the
Sultan, Abdul Hamid.
For the greater part, especially
among the Greeks, clubs and other
organizations looked after the inter-
ests of the men. They were brought
to the clerks offices by members of
the club, and when they had been
declared citizens they were at once
rushed to the registrars Office. In less
than an hour after they were made
citizens, the majority of them had
qualified as voters at the coming pri-
mary.
Oath Under New Law.
All of the men were admitted under
the new law, and on the new oath. This
oath requires the applicant to swear
that he is not opposed to all forms
of organized government, that he does
not belong to any foreign political Sc
cret societies, and that he does not ad-
vocate, or believe that murderous as
saults should be committed upon pub
lie officials merely because of their
being public officials. This new form
of the prescribed oath is aimed at shut
ting out all. enthusiastically inclined.
Besides the oath of the applicant
there is a sworn statement of the wit
nesses or vouchers. setting forth that
the facts presented in the application
of the petitioner are true. In the City
Court last week the same two wit
nesses were on the papers of seventeen
applicants. All Of the seventeen were
then sworn in at one time.
The following shows the registration
by districts, and the number of blacks
and whites registered: