The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-11-17
TO ORDER PERSONAL VISITS
New Law viii Make Copying of Regis
tration Lists Impossible and All Vot-
ers Will be Forced to Register in
Person OH Registration Day.

| One of the questions which will be
up before the legislature next time for
careful consideration win be the ques-
tion Of new registration law for the
! large cities Of the state. 1t has been
known for a long time that the regis
! tration law of Wisconsin was loose and
indefinite and that once a name was
gotten On the registration lists it was
almost impossible to get it removed
with a result that in cities where the
population changes frequently the same
voter, by moving from precinct to pre-
cinct, has often had his name On the
registration list half dozen times and
the registration lists are thus crowded
with much useless padding.
Without doubt the best registration
law which was ever placed on the stat
ute books of the state of Wisconsin
was the law which resulted from the
introduction Of bill on the subject of
registration by Senator Barker in the
legislative session of 1901. This law
renamed on the statute books until
1903, when it was repealed by an in
advertence. The Barker law provided
for the classification Of voters by
streets and blocks and also required
personal registration.
There is no question also but such
registration should be required. If
there is any copying of old poll lists
and old precinct lists there cannot but
be repetitions on the registry lists. If
a personal registration is required there
will nobody get on the registration lists
who is not entitled to vote. What is
more, it is not too much to ask of a
voter that he make a visit to the polls
on a registration day and see that his
name is placed on the registration lists.
Registration is only required in cities
and it is no great tax on the time or
patriotism of voter to ask him to
make three trips to the election booth
in an election campaign, one for the
purpose of registration, another for his
vote in the primary election and the
third for his election vote. If voter
cannot give this much time to the serv-
ice of his country in aiding in the Sc
lection of it's officers he is indeed press
| ed for time. What is more, it is said
the only absolute safeguard against IL
legal voting lies in having a demand
for the personal registration Of voters
in each campaign and advocates of
clean elections also support a personal
registration law.
1t is understood that bill providing
for a personal registration law will be
introduced into the legislature early in
the season and it is not likely that
such a measure will be net with any
great amount of opposition, as there
is general feeling by persons who have
given the registration question any
great amount Of study that such a
law is required. It can be said also
that the Barker law would never have
been repealed on the subject if it had
not been through an accident. In some
way some amendment to the registra-
hot c1o4
and it was so phrased as to amend the
original law instead of the Barker law,
which was an intervening measure be-
tween the section of the statute and
the amendment adopted at the time of
the primary election legislation. Thus
by the clause in the last law that all
acts and parts in contravention of the
amendment the Barker law was re-
pealed.
Another change in the laws pertain
ing to elections which will come before
the coming legislature will be bill
changing the qualifications necessary
for the persons signing an affidavit for
voters. Tie signatures of two free
holders are now required to such aft
davits to entitle a person to vote. In
some wards of Milwaukee notably those
having large fiat and boarding house
districts, it is almost impossible to get
freeholders who know the voter seeking
affidavit, and thus many worthy voters
are prevented from voting. The prop
osition is to substitute a residence of
five years in a precinct instead of the
qualification of a free holder and this,
it is claimed, viii prove a fairer law.