Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1910-08-04

Have we done any injustice to the
voter? We have provided that the citizen
can register at any tinle from the 1st
of October to the LIST of April. We have
given him six full months in which to
register. We have provided that he can
register at the time he pays mis- taxes,
giving the privilege of registration during
the three last months of the year and
at the time taxes are paid, which had not
been his privilege prior to the present
law. The opportunity for registration has
been increased and made more convenient.
The cry that any one has been disfran-
chised by the registration law is absurd.
In the rural districts, the number reg
istered has increased. In the cities, as
a rule, ii has decreased, and that decrease
Is principally due to the fact that Illegal
names were placed upon the registration
rolls i'll 1905. In the county of Fulton. In
which | live, the white registration For
1908 was over 1880 The white regiStra-
ton for 1910 is less than 1880. over $500
illegal voters were upon the registration
roll of Fulton county for N.OS. l do not
mean that the officers were remiss in
discharging their duty. The defect was
in the law.
Now we have q clean registration list
for our primary and only the legal vot-
ers all over Georgia will be allowed to
vote in the coming election. mere
have been some men who were legally
entitled to register who failed to exer-
else that privilege during the six months
that they were allowed for registration,
but they have no one to blame but them
selves In future they Will be more
careful ana the registered voter Will
grow in appreciation of the responSloll-
ity which rests upon him.
There are several respects in which
the law can perhaps be improved. II 81
citizen once has legally registered, his
registration can to large extent be
made permanent. The proper plan can
ha devised certificate of-ie-
gal registration can be obtained in ons
county and carried to another when the
voter moves from enc county to another
These are details to be worked out with
experience, BUT NO CHANGE SHOULD
BE MADE IN THE LAW WHICH
Lessons ITS VALUE AS A PURE
ELECTION LAW. AND THE LAW
SHOULD BE PERFECTED BY MEN
WHO REALLY SEEK TO EXALT AND
| PURIFY THE BALLOT.
In August 1908, the legislature passed
| a bill requiring every candidate for Of
| flee to file under oath statement OF
| expenses incurred in connection with
his race for the office. This will be {
| great help Wnen properly Su1oHCeu NC
| wards purifying elections
| have been somewhat amused to SEE
our oppnne~ts fill the rural papers viii
statements that l neglected to comply
with this law, when 1t was not passed
until so days after the primary in whit
| ] was defeated for governor.
RAILROAD COMMISSION LAW.
The railroad mission law wal
amended The jurisdiction of the com
mission was extended to all classes o
| public service companies. The powe
of the commission to require for the in
| dividual citizen rights to which he wa!
entitled was greatly enlarged. The RAJ
road commission act as comp leted II
similar in most respects &c the pUbl!'
| service law OF New York safe Thu
New York law was drawn with grea
care by leading lawyers and business
men under the supervision If GoVerno
Hughes. OUR LAW IS BASED UPON
THE SAME PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE
TO THE PUBLIC AND JUSTICE TC
THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANIES
AS THE NEW YORK Law.
The cry that the cost of the commits
sion has been increased should not come
from the friends Of supervision. Tn
work of the commission is more thar
four times as great as it was before thu
new bill was pas