The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-11-17
GOV. TRAMMELL
EXPLAINS HIS
POSITION AGAIN
ADDRESSES COMMUNICATION TO
TAMPA TRIBUNE ANSWER.
ING CRITICISM
States the Need of Employing Reg
istration Officers as Oat.lned in
Bryan Pri rary Law

Tallahassee, Nov. 17.-Gov. Park
Trammcll has sent the following
communication to the Tampa Tribune
explainins his position relative to
the registration feature OF the new
Bryan primary law;
81 note the editorial in the Tri-
bune of the 18th instant, headed
"The Governor Guilty" In this edi-
torial you have approved the regis-
tration feature of the Bryan primary
measure as introduced IN the Legisla-
tule In its orieinal form, requiring
the registration officer to only open
the registration book in each pre-
cinct for as much as one day during
the months of November and Decem-
Der. Upon the other hand you con-
denim the amendment prepared by
me and adontcd by the I.eoislature
requiring that the registration books
be opcned in each election precinct
for sixty days during 1914, and thir-
ty days every two years thereafter.
You seem to think that the deputy
registration officers have to be paid
a salary of as much as two dollars
per day for the full period allowed
for precinct registration. This is
not required by the law, nor was 1t
contemplated TO take such posi-
tion you must lose sicht of the fact
that in employing deputy reeistra-
tion officer common sense and justice
would suggest to the officials that
the amount Of work which the recis-
tration officer is to perform should
govern his compensation. IS to what
registration will cost under the
which I advocated to the
primary measure, It ~ nut reason
able to consider our past experience
in the matter of precinct regstra.
tion.
The requirement. that TIE rcristra.
tion books be oNencd ror several
weeks in the precinct is no new fca-
turc in our law. For many years
prior to the enactment Of the new
primary law under tho provisions Of
section 257 of the General statutes,
the rc"istraton books wern opened
in each election precinct for four
Wccks prior to each General primary.
IFndnr the former law It was custo-
mary for some merchant or some citi-
zen havin- n plare Of business CEN
trally located in the precinct to he
selected as the dcNuty registration
officer. He could and did perform
the duty required Of him in making
registration without materially In.
terferinG with his other business. Al
but little of his time was required
to carry on the registration work,
he was not paid for each day as
though he was giving all Of his time
to the work. but was paid commensu-
rate with tho actual work required.
Provision for precinct registration
should and doubtless will under the
new law he carried on in the same
common ccrse manner. It would be
and absurd to allow a dep
uty registration officer full pay for
each day when only fcw hours Of
his time would be required in regi5-
term voters throrrhnut each week.
still take the Doeition that IL
would work a great injustice and dis
AGAINST the voters who
do not live in or near the county
scat towns for them to DC allowed
only one day In which 10 register in
their respective precincts. Such
proposition had II become the law, in
my opinion, would have placed our
practically in control Of tn,
large cities and county scat towns.
The citizens living in the outlying
precincts pay as much towards car
rying on registration and towards
defraying the expense of the elec-
tions as the citizens who live in or
near the county seats, and | believe
they should have reasonable oppor-
tunity to re-ister within ther pre-
cincts without being forced to lose
the time and undergo the expense
necessary for them to go from ten to
thirty miles TO a county seat to get
registered.
Very truly,
PARK TRAMMELL.