The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-01-26

FRAMING NEW
ELECTION LAW
GRAND REGISTRATION OF THE
VOTERS SEEMS CERTAIN AS
FIRST PROVISION - PROPOSE
RIBBON BALLOT.

Oklahoma City, Jan. 25-This week
will probably develop what sort of an
election law may be favored by the
democrats of the legislature. SO far
there has been no draft made public.
Committees from the caucuses of
both the house and senate are work
ing on bills. These committees are
consulting the governor from time to
time. The caucuses have not in
vited the governor to appear before
them and some disposition has been
manifested by democrats of the sen
ate to take no steps toward making
out a bill on the election question
until the subject shall have been
formally submitted to the legislature
by the executive.
One thing that seems certain is that
a grand registration law will be en-
acted. Many members want 'rib-
bon" ballot without party emblems
or other designations as to the poll
tics of the candidates whose names
appear on the ballot. There is great
protest as to this from some members
of the democratic party, because it
would involve the necessity of voters
not being able to read, but to know
the name of the nominee of their
party for each office on the ballot.
Discussing this phase of the mat
ter, Senator VI. S. Blassingame of Sal
lisaw, who is in favor of this sort of
a ballot said that many of the demo-
Gratis who live in Oklahoma City and
the other larger cities of the state do
not realize that there is no longer
any considerable number of litter
ates in the democratic party of Okla
homa. The illiterates of both the
democratic and republican party, with
the exception of the negroes" said
Senator Blassingame, "are now al
most all in the socialist party. The
general run of democrats and repub-
licans, except negroes, in Oklahoma
can vote the ribbon ballot with in
telligence and accuracy"
There are protagonists of poll
tax qualification in both houses, and
this feature of the matter may as
sumo some proportions before the law
shall be enacted. Representative
Garner of Boswell is one of the poll
tax protagonists. He says imposi-
ton of such a qualification would be
the best possible way of eliminating
the negro and worthless white from
cluttering up the elections. This be-
lief is shared by a number of mem
bers from the southwest part of the
state.
Separate elections for state and fed
eral officials is being advocated by
some. It is claimed by those who
would solve the question this way
that the state could then impose a lit
eracy qualification, even one based
upon the grandfather feature, so far
as the election of state and county
officials is concerned, and allow cleo
tions for congressman to be held at
other times than the state election
and take the bride off in these con
tests. This might lose the state two
or three seats in congress, but the
members whose tenure would be ieo-
pardized do not seem to be alarmed
and some of the leading democrats
in the black belt" are confident
that they will be able to get their
share of the black voters support if
no restrictions at all are imposed
The policy of separating the cleo
tions has many adherents in the cabal
of county officers who are trying 10
secure the elimination of the state