Year: 1875

TO the prejudice Of any class Of people 1t
should be amended in such manner as to
eliminate its Objectionable features. 1t
is subject Of much complaint that the
Registry Law, as it now stands, in many
instances eifectually debars voters from
an exercise of their rights of suffrage,
and that the strict construction Of the law
which is given by some election boards,
while keeping to the letter often tran
scends the spirit of the law, which aims
to give every man entitled thereto the
right to vote and, at the same time pro-
tect the purity of the ballot-box.


One Of these changes could be effected,
by simply substituting the words Elec
ton District" for the word "precinct,"
in that part Of the law requiring thirty
days residence prior to voting. In a
county so large and so thinly settled as is
this, some of the precincts embrace
large extent Of territory with but few vot-
ers. For the possession Of the small To-
cal Offices, such as Justice OF the Peace,
or Constable, there is seldom, if ever,
contest. 1t would therefore work no in
jury 10 any one if the voters in a Super
visor District were privileged to vote at
any polling place within the District
1t frequently happens that men ind it far
more convenient to vote at another pre-
cinct than the one in which their place of
residence is included. The election days
come on when tcaming is at its height,
and when voters engaged in that occupa-
! ton have to lose one, two or three days
time or miss voting. The Great Register
is uniform for all the precincts and az
fords the chief test Of citizenship required
in majority Of cases. No harm could
be done il those citizens engaged in occu-
pations of that character, by which their
absence from home is at times lmpera-
tive, could have the privilege Of casting
their ballots for State and county officers
Mt any place within the county in which
they reside.


Another change which should be made
is in reference TO the transfer Of voters
from one county to another. As the law
now stands person must receive a GER
tiicate Of cancellation from the county Of
his former residence before he is permit
ed TO register in another county. If county
clerks were prompt to send such ccrtiG.
Gates upon application this would not be
a great hardship, but it frequently hap
pens through the carelessness or negli-
gence Of those officials, the application is
not attended to and the applicant loses
bis vote. We can cite one instance in
this county in reference to citizen who
settled here in 1871. Desiring to vote at
the Presidential election Of the following
year, he applied by letter to the clerk Of
Plunas county for certificate of cancel
! laton. 1t was not attended 10 and he
lost his vote. Next year, in view Of the
county general election he applied again,
but with no better success. lie only sue
ccedod in obtaining the necessary certf-
cate in time for the election this year,
there having doubtless been II change Of
county clerks in Plumas in the mean
while. This instance is not alone; there
are plenty Of others which could be cited
though perhaps none quite so fagrant.-
In the necessary delays attending a re-
guest for change Of registration, it very
frequently happens that men Of the bet
ter class Of voters, those who seek to COM
ply with the law in all its requirements
arc disfranchised, while others, not so
strict vote wherever they may happen to
be, and thus it is that we see the same
names borne on the Registers Of two or
more counties at the same time.


Such Acknowledgement was not design
ed by the trainers of the law. What was
intended is TO secure to all legal voters
and none other, free and untrammeled
expression Of opinion at the ballot, box -
Any provision Of the law which goes be-
yond this and offers unnecessary obsta-
cles TO the exercise Of the elective fran
chise is in conflict with the spirit oe the
Act. The remedy lies with the Legisla-
tu'e, and we hope to see the power Of
that body exercised in such manner as
to do away with the evil complained Of.
This could be effected by a Slight change
in the form Of the affidavit required be-
fore registration. If the applicant testi-
iy that he has directed his name to be
cancelled on the Register of the comfy
Of which he was former citizen, it
should be sufficient to enttle him to re-
registration if coupled with the other nee
essary averments. Some such changes
as those we have indicated are necessary
and just, and the session Of the Legisla-
ture should not pass away without their
being carried into effect


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PARsoN FITZGERALD has Withdrawn