The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1866-08-31
ARE YOU REGISTERED 2

who are entitled to the right Of suffrage, to go
forward at once. Each man knows whether he
is or is not excluded from the ballot-box by law,
and if he is not why hesitate Many of you
are heavy taxpayers, and have n large interest
in tho oovernrnant nftho Stete aud nation, aud
yet have done nothing, actually nothing, to de-
prive you of your votes. At any rate, a man
should know whether he is voter or not, and
this he can only find out by making application
to the Register OF his district The war is
over, and many man now denied the right to
vote contributed largely to its support during
its continuance, and exhibited as much patriot
ism as his neighbor, who now pirates about trail
tors and Copperheads. The men who enacted
the Registry law, or all such of them as are con-
stantly crying out for strict construction of
the act, know as well as they know that night
follows day, that by the exclusion Of legal vo-
iers only, can their party be retained in power.
They have no fear that your admission to the
right of suffrage will endanger the liberties of
this people they know from past experience
that it will not, but most of the unregistered are
Democrats, and your admission to the ballot
box will endanger and perhaps defeat their
chances for office. This, and nothing else, is
the secret of their opposition to you.
These same men tell us that the war was waged
for the preservation of the Union, and to prevent
the seeded States from withdrawing therefrom );
and now that the war is over, they refuse to al
low them representation in the National Legisa-
ture, except on terms to suit themselves and
charge that President johnson and Gov. Swami
have deserted them, and are using the registry
law in this State for the purpose of thwarting, in
measure, the views of Congress. If Mr.. John
son and Mr.. Swami have proved faithess to
their obligations to party it is none of our fault
or concern. Neither of them hold the positions
which they now occupy by any aid of ours ; but
at the same time, if either of them do good or
righteous act, we have too much independence
to condemn them for it. But the names of these
men are only dragged in as part of the means of
efecting the registry of voters, and have nothing
whatever to do with the applicants right to reg
lister. If he has done no act prohibited by law or
none which legal construction of the law makes
criminal, he is entitled to his vote, whether it
inures to tho benefit of this or that party.
We say to every one who can take the OATH
90 forward and do so. Never mind the
threats which may be made against you. 1t is
your vote that these followers of Wilson and Sum-
ner are afraid of-not your patriotism. They
know that you have been wronged, and that
they are the authors of 1t. They know, too,
that the time for hurrying men off to Fort Nc
Henry and other military bastiles has passed,
and that the civil law is once more above the
military law, and that ii is to the courts of JUS
tice we now have 10 turn, for redress of our
grievances and we can be heard there as we'll as
they. Go, then, one and all who are entitled,
and have your names put down on the list of
registered voters. Let none remain away. To
you who have committed no offence, the ballot
box justly belongs; and let no false notions of
pride prevent you from making application
Obey the law in all things, while it is on the sta
tute books harsh and ungcnerous as it may be,
it is nevertheless the law, until ii is repealed or
declared void by the proper tribunal. We be-
low insert the oath which every voter is required
to take before he can be registered; and we urge
all who can conscientiously take ii, to do so.-
We ask no man TO perjure himself far from it.
He is the true judge of his qualification, and
knows best what he has done; and if he cannot
take it in sincerity, take it not at ALL The oath
which is administered to voters by the Registers
is in the following words:
"You do swear Tor afirm) that you are citi-
zen of the United States; that you have never
given any aid, ccuntenance or support to those
in armed hostility TO the United States; that
you have never expressed n desire for tho tri-
umph of said enemies over the arms Of the Uni
ted States, and that you will bear true faith and
allegiance to the United States, and support the
constitution and laws thereof MS the supreme law
of the land, any law or ordinance of any Staa
to the contrary Notwithstanding that you will
in all respects demean yourself as loyal citizen
OF the United States and you make this oath
Tor afiirlnation) without any reservation or eva
sion, and believe it to be binding on you; and
you do further swear Tor afIirm) that you will
make true answers to such questions rs may be
propounded to you, touching your right to regis
tration and voting; so help you God"
Notwithstanding the hue and cry raised of late
by certain politicians, about unconditional
Unionism, we showed last week, that at the
breaking out of our troubles, no such thing exist
ed in this county; and for this purpose we cited
the proceedings of two public meetings, one a
county mass meeting and the other district
meeting, each composed of men without regard
to past political differences, and men of high re-
spectability and standing in the county and
State; and as we feel disposed to pursue this
subject somewhat further, and stated in a former
article that we could have pointed to the pro-
ceedings of other meetings, in support of our po-
sition we will give here part of the proceed
ings ola public meeting, without regard to party,
which was held in the town of Bavre de Grace,
on Friday, the 2lst day of December, 1867
Elisha Lewis, Esq, was chosen President, and
DR.. John X. Sappington, DR.. John Evans, R.
R. Vandiver, Thomas Sader, ST., and John A.
Hopper, Esqs., were selected as Vice Presidents,
and John L. Williams and John H. O'Neill we're
appointed Secretaries; and the following gentle
men were appointed Committee TO draft reso- |
lutions expressive of the sense of the meeting,
viz Robert S. Rodgers DR. T. c. Honkins