The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-10-02
Do the Democratic Bosses OF
the State as Shown by
Last Legislature

Last Legislature
In It's state platform OF 1908. the
Democrats party inserted Its famous
diJEFanch Eeement plank Aimed at the
.eoIored EOter& its wG1ld catch MANY
whites. Il fuldIed5by = statute. Whites
and blacks, whose snRfage was
threatened bys that 4pr4ponneement,
Joined IN voting to defeat the Demo
cratic party that year
This year. 7thetr platform con-
tains no suchs plank, FFbug the purpose,
in the mIPds pr tbe cement dom1inl as.
ing the Demoerafc partE in this state
is Just as emphatic for asdisfranchise-
.meut law now as it was four and two
years ago.
Two years ago. the Democratic
party secured the legislature.
The legislative program attempt
ed to be carried through at the
regular and extra sessions OF 1911 in
GUIDED acknowledgements as one OF Its
special features. Senator D. z.
French. of BIueheld, was entrusted
with the direction of this vicious plan
TO deprive thousands OF citizens. white
and black, of their constitutional
right OF suffrage
AT the regular session on January
L27. e19f(S Nh French introduced his
FbiIis4nsthe senate. The same bill had
aIreaGy passed the House. The I'M
thS4ddt title 81 this Bill was: "A BIZ
Providing fog thu Registration of vot1
ers." The t8tle sshqlId have sEead.
"a Biz PrdvidSng Sfor the -Disfran-
,...,,...-,,. = Ny,EteI-S For 81, avarT,
sohEht to- make the act of
stion Is diHc6lt upon the SoteS
possible. sThe d@viI himself Nigh;
shave thought of some additional pit
I fails for the voter. but that is to be
doubted very seriously.
The bill provided Cpage s. line u
that a registration for each election
shall be made and completed within
four days. at a fixed place and at a
fixed time of the day. This provision.
ITO say the least. would be very incon-
tvenient for the voters in the farming
sections. where the majority OF them
would be required TO travel several
miles to reach the registrar; and the
time allowed is inadequate. It also
provided (paRe II. sec II. Ire y. that
the registration shah close i've weeks
prior to the elecdona AMI no registras
sf641 or transfer can pc lad after such
closing until the general epects0h 10 be
he'd Two years [nerSaftet. However.
if the voter moves away Z he is allowed
sto vote at the place aae Ryas. originally;
re isssTed. 93ovided she mas the titne,
-iIcfinatlon aid Rhe motley 10 make
the trip back foE thAt rAirpose. This
marvellous 8ekture sets q naughe the
provisions set oul insthes general ,eIec@
tfoflf ~tlIs&sgrz zOtgE4E0id he azhopRr
fide resideut=o34 hepEeeinct JIM which
he offers to vote. sTsz
In another section Cpage 9, sec s..
line y, Il provides that IL q voter can
not answer fully and to the satisfac--
ton of the registrars. any and all
questions put to- him. touching upon
his. rights .to,register. he shaa NOT be7
registered. Even after having an
swered this myriad of questions salts
factoriIy. 1t yet provides that he may
be challenged. which would necessi-,
tate his again going through the pro-
ceeding of proving his rights before
he would be permitted to vote.
Page 9. Sec. 6. line 10: This pro-
vision is too lengthy and complex and
damuabIe in its requirements to quote
at length. It amounts to about this:
If a voters inability to read and write
lis due to ilIiteracy." it requires a de-
scription practically equal with the
BertiTlfon system. as detailed. tedious
and vigorous as if he was a hardened
criminal being put through the third
degree 1t practically provides that
tfle,voter must employ a civfhenEineer
for he. must file a plat showing the
location Of his lot. the location Of his
house on the lot, the room in which
he sleeps and mass 81 minutaei
eduaFiy as. -conFoundfns and aimed
10 disfran1hise those voters who Will,
not cast their Da9fo1s- as the bosses
at elections demand.
SFhbs same eytciouz aad absurd pro-
vision. (page 16. Sec. 10. line u, pro-
vides that If voter shall have re-
moved. from the precinct in which he
was originally registered. he must OBJ
tain a transfer from the precinct in.
which he was located. to his present
voting precinct: and he must supply
additional proof to the registrar. by
his own afidavit and the sworn testi-
rnony of two witncsses-the said two
witnesses must have paid taxes for the
preceding year-that he. the voter. is
entitled to register and vote in that
particular precinct
Page p, Sec %. line "a: 1t further
provides that the registrar must post
the names OF persons found on the
old registration books who. in their
opinion, must be cropped from the
books. and such names shall be