The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-11-22
CLiATT Is CAUSTIC
In Criticism of Both Bryan's Law and
TrammelIs Amendment

Editor Star: While 1 believe the
record will prove that the last legis-
lature was the most extravagant one
that has ever assembled in this state.
l do not think it should be burdened
with all the sins and omissions, es-
pecially~ as to the famous primary
Law. A United States Senator real
izing the incompetence of the legisla-
ture. was kind enough TO quit his
hassee and take the matter in hand, |
and relieve our law makers of all re-
sponsibility except to vote for it, and |
innocently thinking that they were
and that no one would bother his
playhouse, goes away and gets back
on his Washington job. All would
have been we'll had it been left to the
legislature, but the governor, it'll
seems, sowed tares in the senator's
wheat, which have sprung up to
choke it to death. As to the legisla-
tors, they are not so Particular; they
as the senator, and perhaps a little
sooner, seeing that the senator had
gone off and left them. But in speak
ing Of the senator's wheat, that was
merely a figure of speech-it was not
wheat at all, it was mostly chaff, and
will produce turmoil and confusion.
In the first place it will require
experts to act as registration officers,
| the registration will have to be in
| duplicate, that is, two books for each
district. This was evidently not in
tended, as one is to be designated
General County Register" and shall
be in one or more volumes, and one
| for each precinct called :'Precinct
Register but a few sections further
on we find this language, THE sep
arate election precinct shall contain
all the information concerning the
elector contained in the General
| County Register, including the actu-
al signature of the elector.' So you
are obliged to have two books for
each district, which is certainly chaff,
else every man in the county will
have to come to the court house in
order to get his actual signature on
the General County Register" Yet
how solicitous the governor was to
keep the countryman from having to
go to any trouble, time or expense to
register. The person registering
must sign his name in each book,
| witnessed by the registration officer,
the officer must enter a full descrip-
ton in each book of the person who
registers, he must measure him Cup
and DOWN and put what it amounts
to in feet and inches; if he is not an
expert in approximating the weight
of men he will have to weigh each
applicant on a pair of scales; he
must write his full name (sober
name not required); he must write
down his party affiliations, his bust
ness or occupation, his age in years,
the state or country of his nativity,
his color (odor need not be stately
his complexion, his postoffice ad-
dress, his street address, if living in
to have any peculiar characteristics
by which he can be more readily
identified, such as being cross-eyed
or having a wart on his nose-that
| h. I,,Iv- -
each book, l mean the fact, not the
wart. The fact whether or not he
can write his name and mark his bal
lot, and if he can not do both. the
nature of such disability must be en-
tered | will not take the space tl
enumerate all a registration Officer
must do, but refer you to section L
Of the law, I mean the second or las
10, as this law has double Or dupli
cate sections 10, IL, u, and IS. Car
any man show me the use or neces
, sity of duplicate registration? Tn.
registration is only good for the on
primary, and requiring two books fol
each district is in my opinion a will
full waste Of public money, but tina
was what the legislature was elected
4 for, at least they acted upon tina
theory.
If you think the public will stant
/ for any more, | will show some NOR,
absurdities contained in this mon
strosity, misnamed law, and how tn
1 election can be blocked by any mai