The San Francisco call., 1910-03-23
MONEY NEEDED FOR
REGISTRATION PLAN
Scheme That Was Big Success
Shortly After Fire May
Be Used Again
Would Add $4,000 Names TO
Rolls in Two Days at Cost
of $4,000

Upon Supervisor Kelly's agreement
TO loosen his grip on the public purse
strings depends the Inauguration of a
registration scheme warranted to give
every eIector an opportunity for easy
registration and to add at least 10000
names to the list of qualified electors
in two days.
The election commission has agreed
10 resort TO the local center registra-
tiOn plan which was successfully en-
ployed in 1906. Realization of the
commissions plan is contingent upon
the board OF supervisors consent TO ap-
propriate $4,000 or $4,000 for the work
81 TEMPORARY OFFICES
The plan agreed upon by the election
commission involves the establishment
Of temporary registration offices IN 80
or more centers Of population These
temporary offices Will be kept open for
two days from an early morning hour
until 10 o'clock at night Each branch
Office wiz be manned by an adequate
force of registration clerks and ii is
believed that at least 10000 electors
can be registered in the two days.
It is not designed to restrict the
work Of the branch offices to the regis
tration of electors-of the particular
districts in which the several tempor-
arv Offices may be located. 1t IS pro-
posed TO place no territorial restrictions
upon the temporary Offices and TO per-
nit any electOr eligible TO registration
in the city and county to enroll him
self at any Of the branch Offices.
A modified form of this plan was
empIoved with admirable success after
the big fire in 1906 Only 10 temporary
Offices were maintained for two days
but their aggregate enrolment was IN
Of hal of - "
November.
5000 AT ONE OFFICE
one Of the temporary Offices, located
in Fillmore street near Ellis registered
5000 electors in one day and for the
Two DAYS showed a total of more than
800. More than $4,000 voters were
enrolled at the 10 temporary offices ana
the whole vote cast in November was
only approximately $4,000
Precinct registration as conducted
in Alameda and smaller counties is
impracticatle in San Francisco. said
President Thomas Y Gator of the cleo
tion commission yesterday 1tinerant
registration would result ineVitab bly, in
faVOring certain classes of electors To
conduct a precinct registration in all
the preciActs would cost in excess OF
s. coo a day. The supervisors took no
cognizance Of the direct primary law.
our appropriation was the same as for
sos We have no funds. We conduct
this proposed registration in centers at
an expense Of from $4,000 to $4,000
we have not the slightest interest
{n securing a registration for the ben
eft Of candidates who may wish to Sc
cure more than the legal number of
signatures upon their nominating
Uapers. We are interested in securing
the greatest possible vote at the pri-
mary election. We viii take up the
matter Of the appropriation with super
visor Kelly tomorrow and If we can
secure the funds we will be able TO es
tahlish S5 or 40 centers and man them
with adequate clerical forces.
REPUBLICANS FAR AHEAD
The whole new registration, inclusive
Of the Monday enrolment. is 1856. The
republican enrolment is 6,S19, or
y 2-3 per cent Of the whole registra-
tion. The democratic registration is
less than one-ffth Of the republican
enrolment and shows a total of 1913.
while the union labor party total is
only 92A A little more than , z per
cent of the electors registered. or a
total Of PA. refused to qualify for par
ticipati0n in the primary election by
stating partisan affiliations The So
cialist prohibition and doodle dee par
ties have drawn out combined regis
tratiOn Of 1O6. OF that total the So
cialists muster g. prohibitionists "a
and the Hearst doodle dees 20
Mondays registration showed a
ratio of almost six republicans to one
democrat and more than eight repub-
licans to one union labor party voter.
out of a whole registration of 33S, the
republican total was 247. democratic
IS. union labor party 80.