Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-09-10
SLADE DISAGREES
WITH GOV. BROWN
Muscogee Representative Assails
Governors Argument That
"Venal Voters" Get in ON
Ground Floor Under New Law

Capt. James J. Slade, Of Columbus,
one of Muscogee county's representatives
| in the lower house Of the present leg
islature, takes issue with the inaugural
| argument of Governor Brown that the
new election law will fail of 1t pur-
4 pose because only the ''venal voters"
will be vigilant enough to register and
pay taxes six months In advance OF cleo
ton, and the good citizens. being some
what slower to register, will be class
ed with the criminals and felons who
are disfranchised by the law.
Captain Slade locates the cat so full
/ of political feRs in the meal tub. " The
venal register first says the governor
I'm his inaugural. Bosh!"Ssays Captain
Slade.
Captain SHADES argument is addressed
to the Columbus Ledger, and published
by that paper, from whose columns The
Journal reproduces it as follows:
Editor Ledger: Let ii be understood
| that, under this law, every white man.
good, bad and Indifferent, except
felon convicted. can register and be-
come a voter. He must know at the
same time, that this birth-right, perfect
enfranchisement, only means right, born
with him as a white man, to pay his
taxes. register at the time Of payment
] in order to place his name on the roll
| OF lawful voters lot particular SlSSbiOhS.
! Either of these two things neglected he
! throws away his vote. He may correct
! his error before the first of April, not
after.
! GOVERNOR BROWNS QUESTIONS.
Now, our present governor who does
\ not like this law, in his inaugural, asks
the following question. of which as sim
| ply a man, not governor, he ought to
! Se ashamed:
why should the citizen, in the ex-
ercise of his highest right, be presumed
a criminal?'
What did he mean? Why, simply this.
that the man who fails to register is
presumed to be criminal; because, for
sooth, criminals cannot vote; therefore,
any good citizen, who has neglected to
register Is presumed under this law
| to be a criminal.
What a pitiful non sequitur. what imbe-
Gle logic for the governor of the great
state of Georgia. Repeat 1t and see how
I 1t sounds. Because criminals cannot vote,
therefore a good citizen, who cannot vote
! Cbecause he failed to register, for excusa-
BILE or inexcusabIe cause) ''is presumed to
be a criminal"
| THERE is A CAT IN THE MEAL.
| Hal There Is a cat, with its hide full
of lively little political ieas, In this meal
1 tub.
| AS they say in the ring, This is
| lick below the belt at the new constitu-
tionai law for registration six months be-
fore election, when taxes must be paid
precedent to entitlement to vote; one OF
the purifying. broad, grand strokes of
craftsmanship of the greatest man in
Georgia, Hoke Smith, having for its OBJ
ject the publication of the ballot in our
dear old state. whose elections have been
too often handled by the use Of the hobo,
the fioater. the man who expects to sell
| for high near closing OF the polls, the
venal person who makes OF his franchise
an article Of trade.
\ h Heretofore the last named class, the
foaters and hobos have held on, to reg
lister near the election, when excitement
runs high. and interested candidates pay
taxes and bonus for promising voter.
I OLD LAWS EFFECTS.
Registration has heretofore been lax,
closing. by law, only a very short time be-
fore election; so offering premium on
vote buying, the substantial men, with
few exceptions. being always first to reg
lister.
Every man who. has watched elections,
and my readers know this to be true.
Let's see what your present governor,
Joseph NJ. Brown. says about it, To hold
his views of the subject, he must, ever
since his youth, have lived In a sweet
| little neighborhood, where they are all
so honest or all so some other way, that
they do things backwards. He says the
scamps, ''the venal person who makes
his franchise an article of trade, will be
on guard" Now hsten-"and first get in
position to deliver his vote. But the hon.
est farmer" (now listen again mechanic.
laborer or business. usually neglected to
register until the, stress of political con-
test impresses him with its import
ance."
HAS MORE TO SAY.
] Sweet little community he must have
learned politics in. He has more to say.
Note 1t, with care.
| while many honest citizens, through
| excusable neglect, will be excluded from
the ballot" Everybody knows that is
not so, even under the lax old law,
\ but rather the body of the citizenship,
| the best men in any community have
! registered, and always will register first.
| Then the governor says 1.-THE honest
| citizens" the excluded ones, "are pre-
sumed to he criminals"
| Did he learn his lessons in politics
/ somewhere (when quite a young MANI
where the good citizens in that limo
to the corrupt voters? Where was that
wonderland? Was it in Atlanta? At
lanta has something of everything any
body else has, therefore 1t must have
! been In Fulton county. where the gov
ernor learned his early politics, as well
| as witnessed its latest evolutions. He
| may remember that in Fulton there was
! day when the best citizens could not
vote. because the bayonet presumed them
criminal Only the VENAL then voted.
| TANGLED PRESENT AND PAST.
| Possibly a reminiscent picture of that
day and time. nunc protunc, tangled the
present with then, and confused his
! logic. Get his idea The venal register
first. The good shrewd, wise business
men register last, says the inaugural.
What a corrupt registry list then there
| will be, II the venal register first. when
| taxes and registration must be paid and
! made six months before the campaign
| gets hos and closes out the honest farmer
and mechanic who forget to register
when he had to pay his taxes. What!
Pay taxes and not register?
| Now. fellow citizens, was there ever a
more shoclyingly absurd proposition? Do
lyou not know that no excitement can
push the float and hobo, the venal TO
get in evidence with his taxes six months
before election? Who buys a pig in
poke? Who'll pay SO far ahead Of de-
livery? Election traffic is totally ignorant
Of long credit Deliver the goods, then
1.-The cash" is the law and sequence OF
election contract. The venal are the last
L. In ets-