Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-06-09
Histtllaneuus Rsaaing.
EXPLANATION OF RULES.
Technical Irregularities May Do Great
Harm.

Harm.
John ]. McMahan has given out
the following interview in regard to
the new rules of the Democratic party
governing enrolment of the pri-
maries. beginning on or before the
second Tuesday in June:
"The new rules of the Democratic
party prescribe as follows: Books Of
enrolment for voting in primary elec-
tions shall be opened by the secretary
Of each club or by the enrolment
committee as hereinafter provided on
or before the second Tuesday in
June. E.
Zach applicant for enrolment
shall in person write upon the club
roll his full name and Immediately
thereafter his age, occupation and
postOifice address, and If in city or
town shall write the name of the
street and the number of the house
in which he resides, If such designa-
ton exists in said city or town.
IF the name be illegible the sec
retary shall write the name beneath
the signature Of the applicant.
I'm the event of the inability or
the applicant to write, he may make
his mark upon the roll, which shall
be witnessed by the secretary or other
person then having the custody there
of, and the secretary shall fill in the
other requirements.
That the county committee shall
appoint for each club an en-
rollment committee of three, which
NAV consist of the secretary and
county committeeman from the said
club and the third member to be des-
ignated by the county committee, by
whom such enrolment shall be con-
Quoted.
1.-The enrolment book shall be
kept in the custody of the secretary
or at such place as shall be designat-
ed by the enrolment committee.
1.-The club roll shall be open to
inspection by any member of the
party
Self f-Disfranchised.
THE state committee has prepared
and sent out the prescribed books or
enrolment, uniform throughout the
state The signing of the club rolls
will begin on or before June 3.
Special attention should be direct
ed to the details Of the new provisions,
and everybody should be warned
against discouraging them. Neg lect
to conform to the specific require
ments will cause the rolls to be
thrown out by the county commit
tee. In other words, man who dis
regards the rules runs the risk OF dis
franchising himself.
ITO help start things right, 1 re-
state the meaning Of the provisions
quoted above.
1.-The book for each club roll shall
be kept in the custody of the secre-
loo oh a
ignated by the enrolment committee.
The secretary or other enrolling
officer can take the book to sick or
infirm person or to any place for the
convenience Of those who should en-
roll. ..
1.-The would-be voter must himselt
write his own name in full on the
book or make his mark on the book
This forbids enrolment by proxy.
Heretofore the secretary was expected
to put on the roll every name that
anybody reported to him. Candidates
and others would bring lists and
names were often duplicated an err
rors were made in spelling or ini-
tials or in residence. Sometimes the
secretary failed to insert the name,
though requested to do so. For these
errors of commission and omission,
there was no redress. A man came
to Columbia from Hendersonville in
order to vote and found his name not
on the roll, although his friend had
given it in or thought he had.
This provision enables man TO
know, to a certainty, whether MS
name is on the roll or not.
Checks Against Fraud.
but it's special value is that it
tl1A Nf.ttt itt -
enrolment A mans signature is his
identification. If he comes up twice
and is not recognized by the enrolling
officer he forges n false name and
false occupation and residence in his
own handwriting and may be caught
up with later and punished.
when a man presents himself to
the managers of the election and Of
fers to vote under certain name, he
can be challenged and required to
identify himself with the bearer of
that name by signing the name before
the managers, to be compared with
the signature on the book. Thus II
he is an imposter he will be discover
ed and can be punished.
This is the real safeguard in the
new rules, and any one should readily
see why the convention refused to
substitute the minority's plan OF en-
rollment by written applications
such applications being easily forged
and multiplied indefinitely. and not
readily preserved and referred to on
election day for comparison of sig
natures.
THE name must be written in full
another safeguard against duplica-
ton and forgery. j. ). JONES' is not
as definite as John Samuel Jones, or
James Stuart Jones' or Jack Saun-
derS Jones
Moreover. as handwriting goes,
j. S. Jones' might pass for L. L.
JONES' etc.
"The applicant must, in his own
hand, write on the book his age, oc-
cupation, postoflice address, and, If
there is such, his street and house
number. He must write these state
ments himself, so that If they are
afterwards proved to be untrue he can
not set up the defense that the sec
retary misunderstood him and wrote