The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1836-03-02
PRINTING
Laws OF Rhode-Island.
STATE OF RHODE-ISLAND.
In GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

JANUARY SESSION A. IL. 1880.
An Act revising the act entitled An
Act regulating the manner Of admitting
Freemen, and directing the method of
electing Officers in this State.
SECTION l. Be IL enacted by the
General Assembly, and by the authority
thereof it is enacted, That the free MEN
of each town in this State, at any oftheir
town-meetinss, or any City Council Of
any city therein, shall, and they hereby
have full power granted them, to admit
so many while male persons, of the age
oftwenty-one years and upwards, inhab-
rants of their respective towns or cities,
freemen therein, as shall be qualified ac-
cording to this act.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That
no person should be permitted to vote or
act AS freeman in any town meeting or
ward meeting in any town or city in this
State, but such only, who is an inhabi-
tant thereof, and who is, and who shall
have been, at least for the space of fthree
months next preceding, the time Of such
his voting and acting, an inhabitant of
the town or city in which such town or
ward meeting shall be holden, and who
is really and truly possessed in his own
proper right of real estate within said
town or city, to the value, Of one hum
dred and thirty-four dollars, or which
shall rent for seven do liars, or which shall
rent for seven dollars per annum being
an estate in foe simple, fee tail, or an es-
tate in reversion or remainder, which
qualities no other person to be freeman,
or at least an estate for persons own
life, or the eldest son of such freeho!der
and freeman: Providence, howeyer,
That the yearly value of such life estate
shall exceed the amount of the rent res
erved (if any by the sum ofseven dollars
per annum: Provided, also, That any
person whose estate hes out of the town
or ci,y where he Iieves, shall he admitted
to vote for any general Officer in the
town or city where he lives, provided ne
shall have resided therein for the space
of three months next preceding the time
of such vote: and shall at the time of his
voting produce a certificate (Which shall
be lodged with the town clerk, and which
shall be returned to and lodged with the
city clerk by the respective ward clerks
of any city, bearing date within ten days
of the town or ward meeting at which he
votes, under the hand of the town or city
clerk of the town or city where his es-
tate lies, setting forth that he hath free
hold estate therein, sufficient to qualify
him to be freeman agreeably to this act
and that he has been regularly admitted
freeman in said town or city, upon an
IL al, ,,ol, peA IN
the 5th section of his act, and that no
town or city clerk shall give any uch
certificate to any person applying th.. >
fore, unless the deed or other conveyance
of his estate (if his title be by deed) shall
have been acknowledged, and also shall
have been recorded in said town or city
at least forty-fve days: P'orided, also,
That the eldest son (being twenty-one
years of age) of a freeholdcr and freeman
shall be entitled to vote as aforesaid, upon
producing certificate that the father IS
possessed Of freehold estate in said
town sufficient TO qualify him as n voter
according to The provisions of this act -
that the said father has been admitted
is possessed of a freehold estate in said
town sufficient to qualify him as voter
according to the provisions of this act;
that the said father has been admitted
n freeman in said town or city upon an
estate other than any such mentioned in
the fifth section of this act-and that
such eldest son has been duly admitted
freeman in such town; and that no
town or city clerk shall give any such
certificate to any such person applying
therefor, unless the deed or other convey
ance Of the fathers estate, IF the title be
by decd) shall have been acknowledged,
and also shall have been recorded in said
town or city at least forty-fye days.
SEc. 3. And be IL further enacted,
That whenever any person shall offer to
vote in any town or city upon any such
certificate, bis vote shall be liable to be
challenged either for insufficIency of es-
tate, or for fraudulent practices in procur-
ing himself to be qualified; and it shall
and may be lawful for any freeman Of
sud town or city to challenge such vote
for either Of the causes aforesaid, and to
insist that such vote be not received, ex-
cept such person shall first declare on
oath or affirmation, Ito be administered
20 him iy tIie moderator or warden OF any
rown or ward meeting) in manner as Is
herein after prescribed in sections seventh
and eleventh. Aud IL any moderator or