The morning journal-courier., 1908-08-21
THE REGISTRATION LAW.

Much surprise has been expressed over the fact that only about half of the voters have ever taken advantage of the registration law under which enrollment is necessary In or der that voter may participate in . political caucus. It has been argued that popular Indifference to the law and the opportunity 1t offers shows lack of interest In political af- fairs. We cannot agree that any such conclusion Is sound.
 In the first place this law was con- ceived for the purpose of meeting situation in Lltchfeld county, where the reprehensible practice was for years indulged in by both parties of voting Tom Dick and Harry at party caucuses without regard to their partl- san incllnations. Local bosses to main tain their control of the machine bor- IOWCQ HUH tut IdllhS Ol lllt DUDpslHk party as necessity required and stood ready to return the compliment That this was an evil of no small magnitude permits of no discussion, but at the same time 1t cannot be overlooked that the very influences which brought 1t into play were sufficient to destroy 1t. To call upon the state to enact law to cure a human error with which 1t had nothing to do, since the state has nothing to do with political parties un- til they undertake to. seize the reins of government, was such stupid error of Judgment that reasoning men Justly suspected the integrity of the law. The general assembly should have said to the Litchfeld county politicians "Go look out for yourselves. We will not threaten fully one-half of the residents and voters of the state with possible disfranchsement to gratlfy a two-cent and personally conducted evil of your own making"
 So far as the object of the law is to keep Democrats out of a Republican caucus and Republicans out of a Dem ocratlc caucus 1t Is only partially sue cessful It does make 1t impossible for men to take part in both caucuses. It does not stop Republicans voting in a Democratic caucus if momentary needs suggest to them to do so, nor does it keep Democrats out of Republican caucuses If there they believe they can best express their feelings. clt- izen can register one way one year and another way another year in the mean act of registration has no binding force upon the enrolled, so far as his conduct on election day Is concerned. The practical effect of the law is therefore to more thoroughly than ever reinforce the machine politicians in their power and to make the popular will unfelt at the preliminary polls. This Is not the kind of business the state of Connec- ticut should he in
 The inquisitorial character of the reg istration law has led thousands to re- fuse to enroll under 1t, and in place to take 1t out of the arbitrary machine at the polls A whole lot of men do not consider 1t any of the business of tho etate to compel them to register al partisans even when they are partisans and whole lot more have a consci entious objection to enrolling as par tisans when a month or so later the. may feel impelled to vote independent ly So that what this law does In prac tical working is to put premium, oi the one hand, on machine partisan politics, and, on the other hand, t' virtually disfranchise one-half of tn state. To expect to have the bes government under such circumstance Is to go a-hunting for rainbows in th cucumber vines. The possibility of Nil Liley as governor Is the most striking
 object lesson Connecticut has yet ha
 of this law together with other absur traditions and practices.