Evening star., 1945-02-20

question OF partisan politics, since
Mr.. Byrd. while q Democrat, votes
Republican. Second, Mr.. Byrd has
the know-how; he could show the
Poles how to work the thing out in
a practical and economical way.
It's done in a practical and eco
nomical way in Virginia Practical
for the New York financial and
business interests whose philosophy
Senator Byrd represents as Vir-
ginia Senator. Economical for the
Byrd political organization, since 1t
uses a minimum number of votes.
Registering Made Difficult.
In this space it is not possible to
indicate the full beauty of the Sys-
tenn, but we can examine one detail.
Assuming you have got your poll
tax paid-a pretty large assumption,
since it isn't always eaSy-let's look
at the process of registering.
You're newcomer, SO you ask
your nearest neighbor where one
goes to register. He doesn't know, moi
does your next nearest neighbor. So
you go over to the county seat. II
you're persistent, you find some one
who can and will tell you. You GO
to the place indicated, and, If there s
anybody at home, you are told that
that isn't the place any more. Yep,
1t used to be, but it's been changed.
Guess the feller over to the court
house didn't know. The place to
get registered now is at Old Man
Smiths over on the other side of
Blossom Corners. You take the
little dirt road that runs off to the
left catty-cornered across from the
grocery store at Blossom and foller
1t for about mile, or mebbe it's
S mile. Anyways, anybody can tell
you once you git that fur; and
prob'ly you'll find Old Man Smith
to home, because it's good plantin'
weather, and he, likes to git his
crops in early, and he'll probIy be
home. No, he amt got any phone;
you'll have to drive over and see
If he's home.
Registrar Not Enthusiastic.
Old Man Smith isn't at home the
first time. The second time Mrs.
Old Man Smith is a little doubtful
about calling him in out of the
garden, but she is persuaded. Old
Man Smith, when he is called in,
doesn't indicate any enthusiasm for
the job that is taking him away
from his tomato plants. After all,
he only gets 10 cents a head for
each citizen he registers. But he
hunts for his spectacles. They are
hard to f1nd. Then he hunts for
the book. 1t is even harder to find.
although he is sure he left 1t right
there on top of that other book
when that lady came over to regis
ter just before Easter. He does find
1T, after limiting that you might
come again some other time. Then
there isn't any ink in the bottle.
and he doesn't suppose you've got q
fountain pen. Fortunately, you have
Inc brown, cracking pages of the
book are turned to one bearing YOU,
initial and there you inscribe YOU
name, the first fresh name to dec.
orate that page In a long time
judging by appearances.
So you are registered, you hope
and 1t may turn out that you really
are; it doesn't always, as some
would-be voters discover when they
show up at the polls.
Economical System.
That's how we do it in Virginia
Economical? Why, it only takes q:
per cent Of the citizens over q II
do all the voting in Virginia. Ir
West Virginia, where they DOM
have the efficient Byrd system, i
takes II per cent.
Economical? A downright chear
business.
And what do we get for 1t? Las
week We could watch our Repre-