The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1909-01-29
il STEP FORWARD.
DIsfranchiaement Law in Force
Ii GeoroIa.

year the now constitutional amend
ment prescribing the qualifications
for voters in Georgia. known ais the
disfranchisemen law, came into ei-
fect and with 1t arise responsibilities
which are OF the utmost importance.
In order that the qualifications de-
clared to be necessary may be. kept
clearly in mind, we reproduce the five
subdivisions bearing upon this sub
Ject together with the paragraph de-
lining the duties of registrars.
4. AL persons who have honorably
served in the land or naval forces Of
the United States in the revolution
airy war, or in the war of 1912, or in
the war with Mexico, or in the war
with the Indians or in the war be-
tween the states, or in the war with
Spain, or who honorably served in
the land or naval forces of the con-
| federate states, or of the state Of
Georgia in the war between the
| states, or
2. All persons lawfully descended
| from those embraced in the classes
enumerated in the subdivision next
| above, or
3. All persons who. are of good
and obligations Of citizenship under
q republican form of government, or
4. All persons who can correctly
read IN the English language any par
| agraph of the constitution of the
| United States or of this state and
correctly write the same in the Eng
lish language when read to them by
any one of the registrars, and all
| persons who solely, because of phys
| ical disability are unable to comply
with the above requirements, but
| who can understand and give a re4
| sonable Interpretation of any para
| graph of the constitution of the Unit
ed States or Of this state, that may
| be read to them by any one of the
registrars; or
5. Any person who is the owner
in good faith in his own right of at
| least forty acres of land situated in
this state, upon which he resides, or
is the owner in good faith in his own
right Of property, situated in this
state and assessed for taxation at the
value of five hundred dollars.
Par. 5. The right to register under
subdivisions one and two of para
| graph four shall continue only till
January /, 1915. But the registrars
shall prepare roster of all persons
who register under subdivision one
and two of paragraph four and shall
return the same to the clerks Office
of the superior court of their counties
and the clerks of the superior court
shall send copies of the same to the
secretary of state, and it shall be the
duty of these officers to record and
permanently preserve these rosters.
Any person who has been once reg
istered under either of the sub-divi-
sions one or two of paragraph four
shall thereafter be permitted to vote:
provided he meets the requirements
of paragraphs two and three of this
| section
1t will be seen from the foregoing,
and it is perhaps well remembered,
| that during the seven years begin
ming with the. first of this, year pers
manent registration list will be made
up, consisting of the old soldiers and
sailors who have served honorably
in any of the various wars in which
| this country has been engaged, and
of the descendants of such soldiers
| and sailors. When this class of votes
has once been properly placed on the
| registration list, they will remain
there as long as they live, provided,
of course, that they pay their taxes
and are not convicted of an infamous
crime.
1t is, therefore, of the most impor-
lance that due diligence should be ex-
ercised from the very first DAY of the
new law, not to allow anyone to reg
lister, particularly under these para
graphs, who is not entitled to the
| privileges.
The registration books are, of
course. open at all times, except
within the prescribed period imme-
| diately before an election, and it,
therefore, devolves upon the tax col
lectors Of the state to exercise I'M
usual diligence in accepting the reg
| istration of voters.
The list compiled by the collectors
constitute merely prima facie evil
| dence of the right to vote, however,
| the work of the board of registrars,
under the new law, assumes an inn
portance which it has never had be-
fore. 1t is their duty, as it has here
| tofore been, to revise the SegiStra-
ton lists as they come from the
hands Of the tax collector, but be-
cause the list will be, as we have
pointed out, permanent list, in large
measure, it becomes all the more i'm
portant that they should exercise the
greatest possible care in preparing
and certifying this list. Only men OF
| the highest integrity and ability
should be placed on the board of reg
istrars and they should keep before
them at all times the execution Of
the new law according to the will Of
the makers of it.
The advent Of the new law marks