Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1863-09-05

LII reply 10 your letter oil END oil
August, in relation to Sold voting, !
have prepared aud now transmit you a
Paper which contains the information re.
quested.
am, Dear Sir,
Very truly yours,
G. r BUCKALEW.
Hon. GEO. Scorr, Catawissa.
An examination of Me Statutes, DE.
csS'on Of the S@preme Cdu,t, and proposed
amendment TO The Constitution, upon Mt
subject Of civH Suffrage By C1isens o,
Pennsylvania IN Military Service.
By an act of the General Assembly
passed Goth March 1913, it was provid-
ed :-"That whenever any of the citizens
of this commonwealth having right to
vote at general election, shall be ia ac-
tual military service under requisition
from the President of the United States,
or otherwise, on the days appointed by law
for holding general elections within thi,
common wealth, each and every such citi-
zen shall be entitled to exercise TIE right
of suffrage at such place as may be pre-
scribed by the commanding officer of the
company, or troop, to which he or they
shall respectively belong, as fully as if he
or they were present at the usual place oi
election, any provision in any act or acts
now in force to the contrary notwithstand-
ing ). provided hoWever, that no such elcc-
tion shall be held if the company or troop
to which such person or persons shall be
attached, shall be within two miles of the
usual place Of holding elections, at the
time of holding such election"
BY the second section, "the captain or
commanding officer Of each company, or
troop, shall act as Judge, and the first
lieutenant or second officer in mand,
shall act as Inspector, at such election, SO
far as shall relate to the proper company
or troop to which such officer shall belong"
There are other sections regulating re-
turns, &c.
This old statute was superseded by the
forty-third and some of the following Sec
tions, of the general election law of End
July 1889. The AID section of this law
reads as follows:-
"Whenever any of the citizens of this
commonwealth, qualified as her reinbefore
provided, shall be in any actual military
service IN any detachment Of the militia
or corps Of UOlunteerS, Under a 7eguisnion
e om the President ofMe United States,
on by the authority Of this commonwealth,
on the day of the general election as
aforesaid, such citizens may exercise the
right ofsuffrage at such place as may be
appointed by the commanding officer Of the
troop or company to which they shall re-
spectively belong, as fully as if they were
present at the usual place of election: Pro.
Uided, that no member Of any such troop
or company, shall be permitted to vote
at the place so appointed, if at the time Of
such election lie shall be within ten miles
Of the place at which be would be entitled
to vote, if Dot in service as aforesaid"
The forty.fourth section is similar to the
second one of the act of 1913 above men.
toned, except in the new provision it con
tains, that in case of the neglect or refu-
sal of the officers designated, to serve at
such election, the officers "next in COM
mand" in companies or troops, shall act
as judges and inspectors. The proceedings
for conducting such elections shall, as far
as practicable, be the same as those at or
dinary general elections. By the forty
fifth section the manner in which the off
GERS holding such elections shall bo sworn,
is directed. The forty sixth expressly de-
clares that all penalties upon officers and
electors for violation of law at ordinary
elections, shall extend to these provided
for by the act. The four sections next
following, relate to returns and to the
enumeration of votes by return judges
1t is to be remarked, that all the returns
directed to be made are 10 be transmitted
through the mails.
Under these acts, or rather under thai
of 1889 which stands in place of the oldel
statute. it is plain, that persons drawn iol
the military service of the United States
under the conscription act of Congress o.
Sd March 1868, are not authorized to vote
For the act of 1889 applies only to "de
taciments Of militia" and to "co,ps of pol
unteers" in service under State authority
or under requisition upon the State from
the President of the United States. Ii
1899, and always previously, conscriptiol
by the United States was quite unknown
and no provision was made for person
who might be drawn into service by il