Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-11-04
The Law Of Suffrage.

sCrlhes the qualifications of VOTER
Article =, Section !, is as follows:
| EVERY white male citizen of tn,
! United States of the age of twenty-on,
years, who shall have been resident o
this State for sir months next preceding
the election, and of the county in which
he claims his vote sixty days, shall b'
entitled to vote ut all elections which
are now, or may be hereafter authorized
by law"
! Section of the same article provides
! No idiot OF insane person, or person
convicted of any Infamous crime, shall
be entitled to the privilege of an elec
| tor.
When vote is challenged, the party
Offering to vote is required to swear tina,
| he is a resident OF the town or township
| in which he offers his vote. No partic
ular time is prescribed, but bona .fdt
residence is necessary. AS to what con
stitutes residence, the Supreme Court
OF this State has used the following Ian
guage: If q person has actually re-
moved to another place with the inten'
ton of remaining there for an indefinite
time, and making ii q fixed residence OF
present domicil, it is to be regarded Is
his domicil, Notwithstanding he may
entertain floating intention to return
at some future time. The place where q
married mans family resides is general
ly to be considered as his domicil." BY
the word "doD.icii," as here used, is
meant 1.-THE place were person has
fixed his ordinary dwelling, without a
present intention of removal" This
domici, must be established in the State
six months, and in some one county for
sixty days before the person having all
the other qualifications required by the
Constitution is entitled to vote. An
elector may vote in the township in
which he has "fixed his ordinary dwell
ling, without any present intention OF
removal" without regard to the NUM-
Der OF days his dwelling may have been
so fixed.
L llc VA SOhN"NSAhS, GA NASNS'CA'
ana canvassing the votes, is found in
Chapter 80 of the revision of 1860.
The offering or giving of bride for
the purpose influencing q vote, voting
more than once, voting when not quail
lied as required by law, counselling
one to vote who is not qualified, Undue
ing one to vote . ticket by false repre-
sensations IS to the name or names Writ
tea Or printed thereon, preventing OF
endeavuring to prevent any ei"etof from
giving his vote ny force or threats, or
procuring votes by the same means,
and the offering or giving OF brides to
iud .os and other officers OF the election,
are all Otienses against the criminal
laws OF the State, and may and should
be vigorously punished. The making
of false returns by the officers, refusing
To permit electors to vote upon proof OF
tht. qualification, and permitting them
to vote without such proof when de-
nande,i by challenge, a failure To return
poll books in time, &c, are also oiiensos
punisnahIe by the same law. See Chap.
liz page IA OF the Revision of 1850.
When vote is offered by one not
legally qualified to vote, it should be
promptly challenged. 1.-THE challenged
party takes the oeth prescribed by sec
lion 494 of the Revision of 1860, and the
vote is received, he should be immedi-
ately arrested if there is reason TO be-
!ieye that the commission Of any one at
The above enumerated o1ienses can lie
established by the evidence. The arrest
may be made by peace officer, o. {:
!r?irf:tG Derson, when the ofiense is CON
mitted or attempted 10 be committed in
The presence Of the person Or officer who
makes the arrest. The arrested party
should be Immediately taken beior" 4
,na@;strate. See Chapter 19l page .>.ii
Of the Revision of 1862.
Upon the purity OF the ballot-box ii !.
great degree depends The stability OF Re
pub. lean institutions. Every voter who
does not wish his ballot neu5raliZed by'
fraud at the polls, should be yigilanjfo
,suari against al,y and every attempt at
illegal voting. Persons not legally quail
lied. who design attempting to vote.
should be closely watched and promptly
arrested as soon as the attempt is made,
and should be vigorously prosecuted n
COW: teton ana punishment.