Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 March 1881 — THE AMENDMENTS. Senator MeDonald Upon the Amendments Creating a Registry Law. [ARTICLE]

THE AMENDMENTS. Senator MeDonald Upon the Amendments Creating a Registry Law.

As professional business calls me to Washington, so. that I will not have the privilege of voting next Monday upon the question of the adoption of the amendments to the Constitution. I desire to say I could not give my support to those clauses which provide for a registry law, I should be glad to see an amendment changing the time of our general elections, so as to avoid the necessity of holding two elections every fourth year when we are required to appoint Presidential Electors and also te confer upon the legislature authority to prescribe a proper term of residence in the Election District as a qualification for voting. But from a somewhat extended investigation into the workings of the registry law, particularly in the States of Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts, I am fully convinced that eo far from preventing fraud, such laws have been and will be used a 3 a cover for frandj The testimony submitted to the Senate Committee, of which I was a member, in regard to the registry of Boston, disclosed the startling fa. | that there was from 4,000 to 5,000 fraudulent names on the registry of that city, while in the cities of Philadelphia and New York it was still worse. No man is more anxious than I am to secure fair elections and pre-

vent frauds, and, in my opinion, the best mode of doing this is to have small Election Districts, well-defined,, and to require a reasonable residence in the District, say ten ortwenty davs, as a a qunlifieatioa for voting. No Election District should contain more than 150 voters, and then those charged with the du.y of executing the election laws, as well as all others who might take an interest, eould know every qualified voter in the District, while the small number of votes polled in any given District wovld prevent ballot-box stuffing and insure a fair count. The Legislature has power under the present Constitution to provide for all this, except the question of residence, and with small Precincts and proper vigilesce, fair elections can be had in our State.

J. E. MCDONALD.

Indianapolis, March 10, 1881.