The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-08-19
All service ranks tile same With GOD
Wit hN God d whose puppets, best nnd
worst, are we; there n Is 10 !as !, Z nor
frat, My sss5S ------B ROW.rNlllN>'a''
Al Error 4. from Georgia.


An Error from Georgia.
8ys Tho lea ding pollli issue in the Geor-
III gin Campaign Is the proposed q lsf re
chIsement, OF the negro. II he lIoke Slnltil
faction As advocating 1T while the e'ia Z
Howell faction Is opposed Rev. Drsts[NNY.
Nv. Lantlrunl, Of Atlnntn recently lnafle
Stlin statement, on authority Of q citizen tt'ae
fMof Virginia, that under the ~ suffrage f'1Ige
CLAUSE Of tho new Virginia Cons ltt tion
500 900 white men had been DISTINGUISHED.
This statement was taken up by the
Howell faction and employed rs al N a.
@s Gument against the proposal II n Georgia
X 70 disfranchise the negro. 81 III
Ne III, commenting on DR.. Landrun1's state
Nn,enti tho Atlanta Constitution said:
.'1f the educational ,aualfica ton for SUI
VI frage3 has dlsfranchised So GOO white men
y insVirglna, how many white men would
$ ii tllsfranchlse In g eorgia r. AZ
}}sssSsVhie not SO Intended, Of course, DR..
3Landrum's statement Is misleading.
Under tie general registrations OF 1902
ana 1903, 1t was provided tina any per-
VI ana residence required in section Is OF
the cons tltution should be entitled to en-.
& roll Ills name on the permanent voting
list provided no should be: q person S
III wa1io, prior to the adoption Of this Con-
Nstitution, served in time Of war In the
S@ army8or n avy# Of the United States, Of
the Confederate States. or any State Of
III the United States or Confederate States;
or, "A son of any such person; Or
a i person who owns proper t8s8 upon
Which, for the year next preceding that
@sIn which he offers TO register, State
taxes aggregating at least one dollar
have been paid; or, 4, a person able
It'd read any. section Of this Constitution ion
& submitted to him by the officers Of regis
sstratinn and to give a reasona BILE exTlana
5 ton OF the sarne;5 or. Il unable to read
such section, able to understand and give
ia reasonable explanation thereo T. when
Tread to him by the officers 3I u ;sss
5gs Under hese general provisions practi-5
s5cally3 every white manDSwho applied for
registration was admitted to the perma- y
q nent electorate thus established. II he
was not a veteran or sonilof a
veteran. he could register If he paid
taxes on property assessed at $3.50: and
$ssif neither Il veteran, a son o f a veteran
sg nor a taxpayer he had chance to
II come in under the understanding
AK clause II denied registration under
all these provisions, he had the right
OF appeal to the courts. There is no,
& means of knowing how many white men
failed to register in the general registra--
lions Of 1909 and 1903, but 1t can be safely,
said that IL any siderable number
n failed to do so, II was their own fault.
a5 1t is doubtless true that the number Of
white men nowsqualitled to vote is small,
8 cr thanit was before the new Constitu-
N tlen went into effect, but that Is be-
cause many registered voters have failed
to prepay their poll taxes.
To sum up, under the general rcsistra-
II lions OF 1909 and 1903 almost every white
M man who applied was registered no mat
ter what his party affiliatlon, and AL
&s who then Registered were registered for
life. It should also be stated that the
prepayment OF the capitatlon tax was
& not required in those years as pre-
RI requisite. The registration was without
# price. But the provisions of tho Consti-
tuition above quoted have expired by
@ limitation, and as the case now stands
Ss q registered voter must pay Mt least six
8 months in advance of the election all
Ss rcll taxes assessed or assessable against
81 him during the three years next preceding
81 that In which he otsers TO vote.
Registered voters who fall to comply
iii with this provision disqualify themselves
# for the time, but they are not perma-
nenty DISTINGUISHED. They may qualify
at any time by paying up their delln-
&8squent poll taxes for one, two or three
years, as the case may bo, SIX months
lin advance OF tho approaching election.
Ss II disqualfied It Is because OF their own
z negligence and not because OF the constl-
Rtutlonal provision.
word In conclusion regarding the
Atlanta Constitutions comment. There
ss %ns no educational test in the general
Registrations OF 1902 and 1905, unless the
Misunderstanding clause" may be so regard
S ed. Tho educational test did not take Of
8 feet Until after January J. 1904. and, O.
course. was not retroactive. 1t applies
III only 10 those offering to register since
that time All While men living In Vlr
sinia In 1909 and 1913, having tbs uuallllca
ZION Of age ard residence. had abundan
& opportunity TO have their nalhea enrolld,
on the permanent list before the cduca
s tsonai test now IN vogue became opera
tive, II they Jailed they had only thel
own negligence 10 blame.
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