Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-05-13
THE WONDERFUL REGISTRATION


! LAW.
An unterriied citizen of Oregon
writes thus to the Portland paper
about the Oregon registration law:
Holley, Or, May Ito the Ed
tor) I'm your editorial of May I'd en-.
titled THE First Duty" you are urg
ing everybody to register. If you
would spend an equal amount OF
printers ink to get that tom-fool reg
istration law, as it now stands, wiped
off the statute books, you would do
something
If 1t is necessary in cities. no one
has any objections to the cities Of
over 10000 having the present law,
but there was never a law with an
apparent graft" attached to it so
plainly before. In the rural districts
we are not only compelled to go miles
to register, but go into our pockets
and pay the expense in increased tax
alton. For the life of me | cannot
see why 1t is necessary for me to reg.
lister every time | vote. If my name
is on the great register" and | abide
in the same place for years, see no
reason why | cannot vote as intelli-
gently as though | registered every
time. But then | may be too dense
to understand. I am known as a Re-
publican, and | say that If the party
is responsible for this law it ought
to get left, for | know that the gener.
al feeling against all this foolishness
Is so strong that there will not be a
full vote, and it will keep we editors"
busy with a prod from now on to get
many of the tagging ones up to the
trough. | want to vote pretty bad, but
have not yet registered. Probably
will, but 1t will involve a walk of
about eight miles down out of the
mountains. So crack your whip, Mr.
Editor, or there will be many tagging
ones that won't get there.
]. r. SPRINGER.
The kick of the above citizen
against the iniquitous and imbecilic
registration law is directed at the
right place.
Portland is responsible for most of
the legislative damphoolism that Is
foisted upon the people of this state.
The geniuses in control of that city
are always discovering someone like
Woods Hutchinson or w. S. U'Ren,
who has wheels on something.
Then the genius with wheels pro-
ceeds to evolve some great patent nos
trum that Is to make people honest,
and put the kibosh on all the corrup.
tion practiced at Portland by the
politicians.
The result is a registration law, a
direct legislation system, a direct
primary law local option, woman
suffrage and God knows what not.
The little fellow with wheels gets
the endorsement of the gigantic
statesmen with seven.story intellects
and brains to burn, like Harvey Scott
Mayor Williams Cess Woods, and
then the Oregonian begins to grind,
and the people OF the whole state fall
In, and something is done that every
body kicks himself forever after
wards for having permitted
The man up In the foothills has
been disfranohisej, in order that some
crowd OF rotten booders in the polit.
zeal teuderloin OF Portland may work
a new graft ON the Republican party,
No law could have been invented
that deliberately whitewashes fraud
at election TO the disadvantage OF the
honest voter equal to this registration
law,
The six householders' provision per.
mlts any noater or repeater TO be
voted at two dollars per head all over
the state.
The direct primary law, to saddle