Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-04-06
DISTINGUISHES AN ARMY OF
GOOD CITIZENS.

NVUD
Reg stra5ion throughout the state
has been very heavy during the past
few days but, of course, it has been
impossible to make up anything like
the tremendous deficiency that ex-
listed when attention was first called 20
the fact that the registration threated-
ed to fall 10000 short of two years. ago.
It is probable, from the latest adyices,
that the registration, as it is, will show
a decrease of probably 10000, and con-
sidering the natural increase in the
number of voters that should be look
ed for every two years the proportion
of falling off VIII be ever. greater than
indicated by the actual figures.
As soon as the completed figures are
announced there is going to be a howl
from the Smith organs, and more par
ticularly the Atlanta Journal, in all
likelihood, that this is evidence that
there was a large body of unlawful
voters registered two years ago. There
will be the cries of I'VE told you so,
clamoring at the very gates of heaven,
so vociferous will they be, and persist
emit efforts will be made to lead the
public to believe that the present reg
tstration is an honest one, and that Of
two years ago was corrupt one.
As a matter of fact, however, the
truth is that the present registration
has shut off many, many thousands of
the best citizens of the state from
voting at the approaching primary. It
IS in part their own fault, to be sure,
their Acknowledgement can be laid at
the door of their own di1atorfness, the
proneness to put off until tomorrow
what should be attended to to-day. The
corrupt elements never fail to register.
/ It is a matter of business with them, 1t
! is the business man. the professional
man. the farmers who are busy in
their fields, who neglect so important a
matter until it is too late Of the forty
thousand registered two years ago who
viii be cut off from participating in
the election of the next governor and
Legislature thirty-five thousand are
men who, above all others, should be
registered, men who have something at
stake, men of character, of standing,
of principle.
When these thousands upon thous-
ands of men awaken to the fact that
they have been DISTINGUISHED by a law
that closed the books months before an
election there is a strong likelihood of
a pro est going up that will result in
modification of the law Such laws
work their own cure, and that will
doubtless be the result in this especial
case. The purpose of all laws affect
ing the voting rights of citizenship
should be to make it easy for the white
men of the state to qualify to vote.
While there should be sufficient protec-
ton thrown around the ballot to pro-
tect it against corruption there should
certainly be no schemes carried
through having for their purpose the
d'sfranchisement of an army of voters
who would be an honor to any state
And that unfortunately, is probably
the practical working of the existing
law. When the returns are in it will
be found, in all likelihood that the
number of registered white voters is
not at all in proportion to the white
population of the state, that in a pro-
portion of one to five the registration
falls any where from 10000 to 100000
short of what it should be- And for
one we refuse to believe that the
army cut off from voting is made up
of buns, hirelings, vote sellers, liquor
-emissaries, ct al We don't believe
there IS such an army of bad men in
Georgia. But there is an army Of good
men who will not be able to east their
ballots in the next primary And that
is the one great regrettable feature of
the Smith registration law