The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1866-12-06
INDICTMENT OF REGIS
TRARS.

- = NO NiaAu u vi az i'S rA"eS 1SSSSi"H)
presented two of the Registrars of this
county for alleged improper discharge
of their duties under the Registry Law.
They are Capt. George W. Shriver, of
Westminster, and Richard Harris, Esq,
ofIIampstead. 1t could not have been on
account of any moral delinquency, for
the characters Of both these gentlemen
are as unimpeachable as that Of any Of
the Grand Jurors; nor on account Of
any disloyalty on their part, for Mr.
Harris has been a consistent Union
man, and Capt. Shriver served his coun-
try faithfully in the Federal army du
ring the war. Their chief offence has
been that they understood and applied
the Registry Law differently from what
the Grand Jurors and the Radical par
ty would have done. In short, it is our
solemn belief that the guilt of these
Registrars consists in their misfortune
to have come to the honest conviction
that the view which Governor Swami,
Ex-Governor Bradford, all the best law
yers of the State, ard the Conservative
party generally entertained, was right ;
and that the Radical views were wrong.
aY, Now we are not going to reflect on
the moral honesty of the Grand Jurors
who, We have no doubt, acted to the
best Of their knowledge, Judgment and
advice-flled as they are with the be-
lief that the views of their party are ac-
tually infallible, and that all that comes
from their opponents is to be regarded
. with the utmost suspicion. In no other
way can we account, with credit to the
Grand Jury, for their having presented
two such estimable gentlemen on
charge which should be founded on Of
fetal corruption. It shows the desper-
ate lengths towhich party prejudice has
gone, and the great necessity to have
the system Of summoning Juries so re-
formed as to secure men of both parties
on them, to act as check on party feel
ings, and purge the sources of public
Justice from all faint of political preju-
dice. s. 49,
ri ffthese cases ever come to be tried,
we arc satisfied that the views we have
taken will be fully sustained, and that
many who may now think that this pro-
ceeding is right, will be sorry and
ashamed that it, was ever commenced.
They will yet live to see that the hard
and illiberal construction put upon the
law by their press and party with such
presumptuous confidence cannot bear
the test of strict legal inquiry. We
are confident that close investigation
will show that these Registrars were
compelled in the strict discharge of
their duties, if they wished to do JUS
tice to their fellow citizens and escape
the penalties of the law, to understand
it very differently from those whose du--
ties did not require them to study it so
closely, and whose party feelings would
scarcely allow them to construe it gen.
erously. The law gave every claimant
of the right to vote the opportunity to
purge himself on oath of all suspicion of
disloyal intention, and the Registrar
was bound at his peril not to disfran-
chise him unless strong proof was adj
duced sufficient to clear away all doubt
OF his guilt, and of his having taken a
false oath. 1t was astonishing what
slight circumstances were sufficient, in
the mind of a Radical, to convict any
constant political opponent of both trea-
son and perjury; and when faithful
Registrars refused to adopt their policy
the threat of indictment before Grand
jury was freely rendered. ~
Neither the constitution nor the law
Intended that mans secret feelings
should be drawn out to criminatc him.
self and to disqualify him, and yet the
Radicals always insisted on so constituting
them. The Constitution and the law
only DISTINGUISHED such as by open acord
ordeed aided the Rebels, with criminal
intent; and yet we have seen their Reg
istrars, and Judges of election, disfran-
q chi e men on the silliest pretences
such as thoughtless hurrah for JEFF
Davis, only intended to gall political
opponent, or some such trivial matter.
e It was really astonishing to see the ex-
tent they would go, to exclude man
who had been constant Democrat and
liable to suspicion on that account
This was witnessed on the part of their
election Judges everywhere. Tn three
Al. IL ~