The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-12-30
BRYAN LAW WILL
BE A BENEFIT
(Continuad from First Papo1

| to be done? The plan adopted brings
us TO the registration feature Of the
| law.
There has been considerable OBJ
| lection to the requirement for regis
| tration before each primary. If we
have the registration, this enormous
expense can be saved, but, without
| it. it seems to be impossible, because
| in the first place, voters are not all
living today where they were when
| they registered, some of them many
years ago. Again, there is no oc-
casion for a democratic voter to send
| literature to a republican voter, for
example. There is another reason
! for requiring biennial registration.
| If We are to maintain a system of
primary nominations, we ought to do
| so honestly.
One of the grounds upon which
objection is made is that it will be
expensive to register voters every two
years. As the bill was originally
drawn, it would have been no more
expensive under this law than it has
always been, but, even as amended,
I, the expense need not be great.
| 1t has been suggested also that it
! is too much trouble to the voter to
register so often. In the first place,
every patriotic voter ought to be
| willing TO undergo a slight inconven-
| fence in order to insure the purity of
! the ballot, and to give candidate in
moderate financial circumstances an
| opportunity equal to that enjoyed by
a candidate of ample means. But, if
we count only the time the voter
J will not be called upon to devote
more Of it under this act than here
| tOfOre. 1t is no more trouble to reg
! lister than it is to vote. If We use
the old registration books, a voter
will remain registered until the coun-
| ty commissioners find out that he
| is either dead or has moved away
| This system has enabled men to vote
under the names of other men; to
! live in one place and vote in another
| and even to live in one county and
vote in another, or both counties. 1t
was easy enough for person who
! had no right to vote to personate
| duly qualified Voter, before this law
was passed All such a person had
to do was to vote under the name of
| someone else who appeared upon the
| registration books to be qualified I'M
! less the inspectors or some bystand-
er knew he was not the person he
| pretended to be; and. even then, if
! he said he was such a person, there
! might be some doubt about it But,
under this law, when a person offer
! ing to vote is challenged, he is re-
! Quired to acquaint the inspectors
! with his party affiliations, his occu-
! patton, his age. the state in which he
| name. Now, no man could DO all
/ these things frauduIentIy without
/ being caught, and if he does them
and is caught he is subject 10 the
! pains and penalties Of perjury. It
! would not do to have only one new
registration, because all the evils we
! are trying to remedy would reap
! pear. l apprehend there will be very
little attempt hereafter 10 cast fraud
ulent votes, and this is a matter I
! commend TO some newspapers which
have been clamoring for honest cleo
lions, but which condemn this meth
Cd Of securing them.
Not one man in a thousand in
Florida today IS familiar with the