The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-06-29

oCnGIS ClldC nave Deen demonstrated
to be valid, together with data that
have been collected. The operation
OF the above provision of this law.
when taken in connection with the
registration and subsequent elections
IN various municipalities in the state,
/ proves that it directly and flagrantly
dlscrlminates against the residents
! OF the country districts and in favor
of the residents of the cities and
| towns.
1t is well known that the avowed
purpose in fixing the excessive time
| of six months between the closing
of the registration books and the
date of the election was to purify
the ballot by shutting out the 'venal
voter, the hobo the 'ward-heeler, ,
and the like. These nefarious class
es were represented as being mainly
residents of the large cities. Yet.
we find Atlanta closing her registra-
ton books only eleven days before
voting on the question of binding her
self to the payment of $3,0O0,00O in
bonds, an amount equal to almost
half of the public debt of the state.
And we find Macon, Columbus,
Granville and Rome closing their
registration books from eight to
eleven days before the dates of cleo
lions of momentous interest to their
/ citizens, while Gainesville and Ath-
ems voted without requiring any reg
istration this year.
/ SO, too, at Lafayette the time
limit between the registration and
the election was only five days, and
in the other municipalities named
this limit was in each case less than
thirty days. Again, it has recently
been decided that Atlanta for her
election of city officials on Wednes-
day, December 9TH, will not close her
registration books until November
28th. Yet, in the same counties
wherein all the foregoing cities and
towns are located, and in other coun-
ties, the residents of the country dis
tricts, in elections in which they take
part, must register six months before
the date of casting the ballot or they
are debarred from the power to vote,
that power which was once held to
be the right of freemen inalienable
saw ny IllC OOI1ILllSSlOn VI CIlIUS.
Therefore, while it has been the
current belief that the 'venal voters
and other obnoxious classes, whom
this law would debar from the ballot
box, are the jewellers in the city
slums, or are temporary importations
thereto, the law itself, by its opera
ton, says that these 'venal voters
and the like are confined almost en-
tirely to the country districts; for,
as l have shown, one great city can
vote an enormous issue of bonds and
another can transform country peo-
pie into city peOple-the most radi-
cal of changes in our system of gov
ernment-On a few days notice,
while the countryman must register
six months before election day so
as to give the registrars sufficient
time in which to examine carefully
each individuals status, to purge the
/ lists and throw out all who are 'Venal
voters or 'ward-heelerS' or 'hOboes.
II respectfully submit that this in
evitable logic of the law is an I'M
called for and unjustifiable aspersion
on by far the greater portion of the
/ SlSCIOl dlC VI NICOl . Ia anu ~ plSbSSo
them under a discrimination as need
| less as it is unmerited.
"Yet, the glazing disabilities in the
exercise of the voting power which
this registration law places upon
chiefly the country people of Geor-
gia becomes still more distinctive
when we note the following compila-
ton of registration laws prevailing
in other states as they bear on the
time for closing the lists"
After giving list of all the states,
and in brief the registration require
ments of each, the message con-
/ tinues:
1T will be noted that in Texas only
is there a limit approximating that
required by the law in Georgia, but
in Texas the payment of poll tax
alone is the prerequisite; whereas,
| in Georgia all taxes must be paid six
months in advance of the election,
and in addition, the voter must, IN
person, register six months before
the election. In Texas one specific
act only is required, and it may be
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