Year: 1874

Democratlc objections to the present Registry law have taken the shape of

 bills the principal features of which are a

 repeal of the existing provisions requiring

 notice to be given of the making of cleo

 tors through lists of persons, ''To be

 made;" restoring the old certificate sys-

 tem; and giving all courts of record lex

 cept courts of probate) the right to natur-

 alize foreigners.

 Those who are best acquainted with the

 workings of the present statute say that

 the provision requiring lists of electors

 ''to be made" to be registered in advance,

 is the most effective check on fraudulent

 voting in it. Each party is thus advised

 of the names proposed to be offered for

 admission as electors; they are thus enabled to examine into each case; and,

 with due exercise of the diligence which party managers are pretty sure to employ, to expose any fraud attempted. Should this part of the law be repealed, cases are liable to be ''sprung on'' boards of regis tration and pushed through without any examination. There is no time allow cd to examine into the merits of the pro- posed electors claim. and to bring oppos- ing evidence. Each case will in effect be presented co 1oarte, and liable only to such rebuttal from the opposing party as can be produced without any previous notice that such case is to be tried. As pre- yentive against fraud the strength of the old provision and the weakness of the new one are evident.

 The sections of the bill that restore the certificate system, are better guarded than we had supposed. They require that the party holding the certificate shall make oath to the fact that he is the person named, and if either of the registrars re- quire it the oath of q voter of the town whence the certificate was issued shall be appended. Without these provisions there would be no check on fraud what ever. Under the old law town clerks is- sued blank certificates, which were filled up when needed, and aliens and repeaters piled up enormous votes in all the cities upon such certificates. Even when guard ed as proposed, the system of certificates pretty much nullifies the reading" quail ifcation of our constitution. In many towns, Democratic boards practically dis regard this requirement, and, when once admitted, no matter how fraudulently, the elector can procure his certificate and vote in any town in the state. Under the pres ent law the fraud OF negligence of one board of registration will only effect the town where the elector who cannot read is admitted. Should he remove to any other town, he is obliged to "be made" again and then, of course, he can be re- quired to show his ability to read. So another door is opened to fraud.

 The bill which allows inferior courts to foreigners offers further oppor- tunity for fraud. There is not the slight est need for any such measure for any honest purpose. The Superior court holds frequent terms in all our large cit ies, and all suitable cases can be easily acted on in that court, but the power given city courts, held by partisan judges on single year terms, is one that has in former times been most grossly sbused and will no doubt be grossly abused again.

 It will be observed that the changes proposed in the existing statute seem to be not so muchin the interest of economy as in the interest of fraud. They are not so bad as might be, perhaps, but they are bad enough.