Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1865-08-10
.Mssrs. Editors Baltimore american :

poitlou vi YOUR spacc ioT tHc purpose OF CIV
&, ing an official view, based on positive know
n ledge as to the meaning and intention of tn
! law. Iproposc briefly to advert to the foun
dation of the law in the first place, then a
to what was to be accomplished. more espe
cially in the 9th section of the act.
The End section of the 1st article of tn,
: Constitution provides that "The General As
, sembly shall provide by law for uniform
registration of the names of voters in thi.
State, which registration shall be evidence O
\ the qualification of said voters to vote at any
e election thereafter held" etc. latter which
no person shall vote unless his name appears
3 on the register" The Bird. 4th and 9TH sec.
tons of the 1st article proceeds to give tie
causes of disqualification, the 4th section OF
. which goes with great minutencss into the
details of one disqualifying cause, common
cling, "No person who has at any time" set
ting forth variety of things and concluding
" shall crer he entitled to cate" etc. Now in
framing that law did, and yet do, take it
for granted that the convention which framed
and the people who adopted that Constitution,
considered that matter of great Importance.
and that it should be perpetuated.
The construction placed by some Officers of
Registration, and perhaps most of persons
who have read the Governors letter in regard
to the 9th section Of the act is that the Officers
of Registration are not to take notice of any
names except of such persons as shall appear
before them "cluimiHg tie right of Eicrtirc
Jrunchise." do not conceive that his Excel
lency intended to give any sucl, construction
to the 9th section of the law Certainly the
trainers of the law did not intend it should
have such construction. and no member of
the Legislature mderstood it to mean any,
thing of that sort, but directly the reverse.
That we may better understand what the
law contemplated and intended to ACCOMPLISH.
let lis look at q few of its sections in coniunc-
ton with the LIST article of the Constitution
sections 2, s. 4 and s. Section 4th of the
act says: The Governor shall cause to be
prepared suitable books for the registration of
names and facts required by this act" ruled
in parallel columns, on which shall be entered
first the name of the person registered; second
sworn Mta, his age fourth. the place of his
birth .ttth, time of his residence; s,1th ma
turalization sereath, disqualification eighth.
qualified voter. The 9th section saws "tbat
the said Officers Of Registration shall ascer
tain and register the names Of crery uhtte
mate person. resident in or temporarily absent
from their wards or election Districts" and
the Othcr facts called for by the 18th section in
their appropriate columns, The 9th section
says That it shall be the duty of the Off.
GERS of Registration before entering any name
on the register Of cutters to diligently inquire"
etc, and they shall not enter his name ms u
roter in said eighM column or register of roters.
In the seventh section also the eighth column
is designated as the register of qualified vo
tiers, and everywhere in the act the ci1bth
column of the book alone is spoken of as 1.-THE
register Of qualified voters" The eleventh
section says 1.-TWO fair copies of said corrected
register Of roters shall be completed and oue
copy thereof shall be lodged by the Officers
Of Registration with the Clerk of the Circuit
Court" etc., and 1.-The other fair copv shall
be delivered to the Judges of Election" etc.
The twelfth section draws the distinction vet
more clearly. and says they shall lodge with
the said Clerks, lone copy Of the register Of
qualified rioters, which lest shall be recorded
by the said Clerk )" land they shall also de-
post with said Clerk the Jooks of registration
provided for in the 2nd section of this act.
Wherever throughout the act the ..register or
list of voters" aud the "book" required bv
the second section Of the act are spoken Of
they are designated as two distinct aud SUBJ
stantive things. and were SO intended to be
and understood to be- Let this distinction
| be borne in mind and there can be no uficul.
ty IN the case.
The Governor, in commenting on that part
of the 9th section of the act which SAYS ..the
said officer of registration shall ascertain aud
register tho names of every white male per-
son., etc., and from the tenor of this lam
guage some have supposed it to be the duty
of these officers to ascertain the name of eve
ry qualified voter in their district and to reg
lister him whether he applies in person to be
registered or not" declares "such is not nv
construction of this section" He is perfectly
right in his declaration The section gives
no such authority, because the 4th sec.
ton of article LIST expressly prohibits it
But some are disposed to contend that no
name can be entered in the book of registration
unless the party appears in person before the
Officers of Registration and demands to be re-
gistered. Every member of the Legislature
who was present understood it quite differ
emily. Amendment after amendment was
offered to restrict the action of the officers to
such only as should appear and apply in per-
son: speech after speech was made, appeal
ing and threatening with courts. with revolu
ton and arms, but each vote on these amend
ments showed the determination that the
''names of every white male person, resident
or temporarily absent" from the drummer
boy of ten years or upward. should have, if
he aided in any way the rebellion, his name
recorded with the sentence of disqualification
set forth in the seventh column Of said book.
A reference to the journals of either House
will show that it was distinctly understood
both by Union and disunion men, that the
9th section especially intended to disqualify
ercry ~hite male present, or temporarily ab-
sent, who had in any way engaged in or
or afforded aid. comfort, countenapco or
support to the rebellion. or those engaged
in it.
For the accomplishment of this purpose the
act makes it the duty of the Officers of Re-
gistration to ascertain and register" in the
first column of the book ''the name of every
white male person resident in and temporari-
y absent FROM and the power to issue sum-
mons, attachment and commitment the same
as Judge of the Circuit Court or Justice of
the Peace, and direct such process to '.any
Sheriff or Constable in the State, recurring
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