Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1908-10-22
DESTROYING the ELECTORATE

The longer the present registration,
suffrage and election laws in Virginia
are continued in force the more odious
they will become to honest citizens. 1t
is strange that any one now, calling
himself honest, would undertake to de-
fend them. AS soon as the new consti-
tuition was proclaimed we confidently
predicted that the new suffrage laws
would so reduce the electorate of the
State as to place all power in the hands
of minority of the citizens. That, we
honestly believed, was not only the out
come but the intention of the suffrage
clauses in the constitution. The results
have more than verified our predictions.
Not more than one-third of the white
men of voting age in Virginia are now
qualified to exercise or do exercise the
right Of suffrage. So many obstacles
are placed between them and the ballot
box that most of them find it almost i'm
possible to reach the most sacred goal
of citizenship.
The difficulty begins with registration
and it continues all the way through.
At the two first registrations held under
the new constitution the understand
ing clause" furnished ample opportu-
nifty to unsworn registration boards to
register or reject whom they pleased.
More than a hundred thousand white
men failed to register. either from
dread of failure or because of the un-
fairness of partisan boards. Since then
the registration laws have been doing
their deadly work. When a man pre-
ssnts himself now to register. he APP
proaches Car. The registrar in Vir
GINA is clothed with authority that
should not be lodged in the hands of
any man, no matter how honest or
capable he may be. He can register or
reject whom he pleases; and the consti-
tuition gives him abundant opportunity
t. exercise his authority In the most
arbitrary and vicious way.
Those who undertake TO register now
must have themselves in shape so far
as the poll tax qualification for voting
is concerned. Then, when they 90 to
the registrar they must be prepared to
stsn1 an educational test before thew
can obtain registration. In many in
stances the registrars, after having the
applicants prepare their applications in
writing, as required by the constitution,
enlarge upon that requirement by sub
jecting the applicant TO an examination
upon the constitution and the State
government. When this test il made.
it is done for the purpose Of confusing
the applicant and justifying his rejec-
ton. If this outrage was intended by
those who framed the suffrage laws,
they have been guilty of great crime.
At one precinct in this county at the
last registration there was no registrar.
The man who had been filling that po-
sition had moved away. The electoral
board for the county appointed 8 man
as his successor, but the new appointee
declined to serve, as he had also been
appointed one of the election judges for
the precinct. So. on registration day
there was no registrar at Cove Creek |
precinct. There were eight young men
at that precinct who wanted to register.
but they could not do 80. There were
three who wanted transfers to other
precincts, but they couldn't obtain
them. There was one who wanted to
deposit transfer from another pre-
einct, but he couldn't do So
Thus have twelve good citizens at
oDe precinct been deprived OF the right
TO vote at the coming election by the
registration laws under the