Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-03-26

Il
| The Bill to Am end the Charter of the City of
Washington with Regard to Elections
The following are the main provisions of the
act introduced by Senator Harlan, and report.
| ed upon fay yorably by Mr. Dixon, from the Com.
| mittee on tbs District ofColumbia
The first section provides that every male
citizen OF the United States who shall be TWEEN.
ty one years OF age, and shall have res sided in
the city OF Washington one year mmedia tely
prece ding the day of election, and shall be q
resident Of the ward in which he shall off r to
vote, except persons non conipos qtentis va
grants, paupers, or persons who shall have
been cony icted Cf any infamous crime and
shall have paid all school taxes properly as.
sessed against him, hall be entitled to vote for
mayer, md all ether officers authorized to be
elected Al any election, under any act or acts
10 WIKI this is amendatory or supplementary:
Iror,ded, That they shall take ana subscribe
tie following oath, 10 wit: 81 do solsmply
swear Tor afhrm) that have ne yer yoluG t.rily
b,rHe arms agfins the United States since I
have been citizen thereof; that have voun.
tsriy given no aid, csuntenahce, council, or
ems c. urafemeEt 10 persons engaged In armed
hosnlity thereto; that have neither sought
nor accepted, nor attempted to exercise the
fun tons of, any office whatever, under any
aulhCrity. or pretended authority, In hostility
to the United States; that nave not y eIded or
gwen voluntarily any support Ut approval to
any pTet' nded government, authority, power,
CT Const:tut, on within the United States, hos
lille or jnimical thereto nor by actions, wJrds,
letters, conversation or Otherwise, encourage d
or aided any other person or persons so to do:
and i co further swear, 10 the b st OF nv
knowledge and ability, will support aud de-
fehd tie Constitution ard government OF The
Unitee states, and all la and proclaraafions
n ade III pursuance and ty the authority
thereof, against all enemies, foreign or aomss
tic; .Lal viii bear true faith and allegiance
to IL e same, that take this obIigit ion irpely
without any mental res ryation or purpose OF
evasion So help me God.
Section I'd provides for a regis ration, In the
wear l56i, OF all qualified electors of the civ of
Was blGctIn, The Aldermen. s,nIIs,tpr md
Register OF Was hing on shalt constitute the
board 81 registration, and they shall provide
che beck for each ward, SD arrange a. ID con.
ain an alpha belical iis of The fnll nam s Of ali
persons declared by this act TO be electors n
'ntl Ii d under the act 10 vote. The re- id N e
OF The s]ector shall also De no ed i'm SAID books
and any M mbtr OF the hoard has power to
az m mister an oath TO the applicant Tor regis
trat!on.
Section Sd provides that thp board Of regis.
t. atiUn shail publish the time and place of their
meeting III each ward, IN one more pap4rs OF
The city OF Washington, at least two W ess
before such meeting. The first meeting Il 90 b.
held en- lhe first Monday OF May, 1861, AT nine
o'clock a. m, 10 make pert CT list, as near rs
may be, OF all persons residing I'm such ward,
qualified AS electors by his act, and designating
the place in each ward where said board will
meet ior that purpose. And they shall also
cause haGGbllls 10 be posted in at least twenty
cons pic uous places in each ward, containing 4
similar noiCe Of the time and place of such
meeting OF the board for that ward, which
notice shall atso contain u true copy Of section
OEt u iblS act. NSlnS anu Ut ilnlng tbs UuallH.
cations Tor electors tor the city OF Washin gton
Ard the board may so divide and classify
themselves that two or more OF them may be
ct: igned to different wards the more speedily
to complete The registrations; and in case OF th.,
sickness or absence OF any alderman, or his
il abi ty or refusal to serve at the Session, IN
any ward, the board shall In writing, under
the hand Of their chairman, immed atety ap-
point the assessor OF the ward, any instice of
the peace, to act in his stead, who shall be, for
the purpose Of regis tration in that ward. deemed
p rppiSfratinn
shall continue in session not less tn m three
nor more than five days in each ward. All
nece blanks and Instructions to aid the
board in the disc barge Of their duties, and all
oiEer expenses in performing the same, in.
cluding the employment OF printers, for print q
Irg the notices ard registry lists, are to be pro-
via. by the hoard ard paid by the city.
Section 4h provides tie mCde Of reg efstrltion
IN each ward. The sessions are to be public
and during the first two days any one desiring
10 do go may write his own name In the Regis
try b. ok; or II requested, a member OF the
Board shall write. the Dslne. After the first
two days the member OF the Board shall write
Cewn the names of ell electors in the ward,
an opposite TO every name there shall be noted
by the beard the date OF entry. For the sake
Of better information the Board may have be.
fore them the poll.list Of he next preceding
general election, to be returned 10 the proper
keeper at the close of the session, and all such
entries shall be made with ink The Board
shall have power, and 1t shall be their duty to
question every person presenting himself for
registration touching his residence and other
qualifications as an elector Of the ward, and it
shall be the duty OF The applicant to make
truthful answers to ali such questions and
the Roard may, for the more perfect examina.
,ion OF the applicant, swear ami employ an in.
teIpreter, truly and i'm partially to inter pret
all such questions and answers. The penalty
for making false answers is a fine OF not mere
than one hundred nor less than five dollars.
and Imprisonment in the county Jail not more
than thirty nor less than five days.
Section 5th enacts that the name OF no person
but an actual resident Of the ward at the time
II remaining such resident, to vote at the next
charter election, shall be entered In the register
Neither the board, nor any membeS thereof,
any pereon, nor suffer him to write or enter his
name therein, whom they know or believe are
not residents OF qualified. II any person enter
his name in q ward where he knows he Is not
q resident, he shall pay fine Of not less than
S25 nor more than Sl0O, and be imprisoned not
less than ten nor more than ninety days in the
Section 9th prescribes thst On Thursday, Fri.
day and Saturday preceding each election, and
during two days preceding any special elec-
In each ward, to be designated by public notice,
to complete the lists OF qualified voers.
Section ;th provides that at least two weeks
previous to the commencement OF any such
session, the board, at the expense OF the city,
shall cause notice thereof to be printed and
published In one or more newspapers pnblish
ed In the city Of Washington, designating the
place Of holding the same; and shall also cause
the came notice to be printed in handbuI form
ana posted up in ut least ten conspicuous
places in each ward, which handbill shall also
contain q true copy of the list of names then
appearing in the register for the ward. And
Immediately after the close Of the polls OF such
election, the clerk Of the board OF commission
ers of that election, and before the counting of
the vott e. shall, under the direction and by
the assistance OF the commissioners insert and
wLlte upon, or attach TO such printed hand.
bills, all the names OF electors appearing on
the register. and not on such handbiils, 90 hat
such handbill, SO corrected, shalt be a true
copy OF the list then appearing in such regis
teT, and shall, with the commissioners, ,;or q
maj rlty OF them, certify and sign such copy,
and fle the same in he Office of the clerk Of
the supreme court OF the District OF Celnmba,
who shall carefully keep and preserve the
same; and the same shall be evidence, prima
iacie, of the original, and in case OF the loss
or destr nctioa Of the original, it shall be used
Ill its stead.
Section sth provides that the registration
board shall sign the list of electors registered
and shall deposit it for safe keeping with the
Register Of the city.
Section 9th enacis that no one shall vote a.
any election who is no. registereai except the