The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-28
States Alabama Law as to
Voting and Punishment
for Violating Same
ORDERS OF STATE
BODY CAST ASIDE
Declares Persons Voting Without
Meeting Qualifications Prescribed
by State Committee Will BeGuilty
of Misdemeanor or Felony
BY l.. s. BETTY

Montgomery, January 27.-(speciaL)
Persons who vote in the democratic
primary elections under authority
granted by county executive commit
tees and in violation of the rules pre-
scribed by the state democratic exe-
cutive committee, which make the pri-
maries for true and tried democrats
only. are guilty of punishable crimes
under the laws of Alabama. This
warning was sent to the county COM
mittees Tuesday by Tyler GOODWIN,
chairman of the state committee, with
a copy of the state committees reso-
lutions which prevent nondemocrats
from voting.
Since the committees meeting sew
eral county committees have cast aside
Instructions of the state body, and
called upon all persons who will sup
port the nominees in the general cleo
ton to participates. This Violates the
state rule, which says that only those
who voted for the democratic nominees
in the last general election, or who
would have supported them had they
tieipate.
Can't Override Qualifications
by reference to the state primary
election law you will see that no
county committee can lawfully over
ride the qualifications prescribed by
the state committee" said Chairman
Goodwin. THE state committee asks
a cordial cooperation from county
committees in this matter, which is
only for the purpose of limiting the
primary to actual bona fide democrats.
Remember that no man who voted
against any one OF the democratic
nominees in the general election of
November 1912. can vote in the April
primary. and if any such person does
so he is guilty of a punishable crime
under the laws of Alabama"
In his instructions to the county COM
mttees and election officers, Chair
man Goodwin declared that The state
democratic executive committee has not
conferred upon any county committee
the right TO fix any different quail
fcations of voters for any county can
hidates, and the said qualifications pre-
scribed by the state committee and
none other must be met by every voter
participating in the primary election"
PERSONS VINO vote without meeting the
% qualifications prescribed by the state
committee Will be guilty of misde-
meanor or felony under sections 8 AMI
30 of the primary election law.
rs Action One of Caution
Il do not believe that persons who
are not entitled to vote under the le-
gal qualifications prescribed by the
state executive committee will attempt
to impose themselves upon the demo-
cratic party, but it is decidedly the
part of caution that they be fully in
formed as to the penalties they incur
under the law If they should be so
reckless as to wilfully violate the law
by voting in the democratic primaries
when they are not entitled under the
law to do So said Mr.. Goodwin. "All
true and loyal democrats must be on
their guard to make the primary on
Monday. April 6, a strictly democratic
primary 1t is not fair that q demo-
cratic voter in one county should have
his vote nullified by an enemy of the
democratic party in some other county.
The qualifications should be, and are,
uniform throughout the state, and no
county committee, in justice to it's fell
low democrats in other counties nor
without violating the plainly written
laws of Alabama, can in the least de-
gree add or take from the qualifica-
tions accurately prescribed by the
tot mi Z too