The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-04-02
The RI sisiraiioH Act-Who are En ii
lied so Vote.
LEwisBURG, ". Va
March 2S, 1866.

| oiaiSn 80 1Ooo'
| Eiitors oil the Register;
The people here feel very thankful for
your manly efforts on behalf of the con-
stitution and the overthrow of ignor-
ance and RepubGeanism. Never de-
spair Go on in yeur glorious and in
dependent career. While Justice and
Right are yonr watch words, failure is
impossible You are doing much good
Nothing is required bat wholesome in
formation to defeat the radical usurpers
on the oath of May aext
That the registration act may not be
misunderstood by any one in this i'm
portant emergency, propose TO giveit
some ventilation which may be useful
| to your readers.
The third section OF the Act provides:
Before any registrar shall register
the name of any person as qualified
voter, except as hereinafter provided, he
shall be satisfied of his qualifications as
heretofore provided By law, and if he
has any doubt of such persons loyalty,
he shall administer to him" the test
oath
According to this clause the registrar,
before he shall register any person az
qualified roter, shall be satisfied, first, that
such person is qualified to rote under tke
lars heretofore proridedi and secondly, he
has any doubt as to such persons 10y
atty, he may require him TO take the
test oath Therefore, unless he finds
such person disqualified by the laws in
existence before the passage of this Act
or believes him to be disioyal, he is
bound By his oath TO place his name
upon rhe register UitlOut administering
the test oath, or asking single ques-
tiOn.
Nov as 10 the hrst point-let II. see
what are the qualifications heretofore
provided hy law" Who shall vote is de.
fined by the Constitution, Cart 3, sec i
as follows The white male citizens OF
the State shall be entitled to rote at all
elections held within the election districts
in which they respectively reside but
no person who Is a minor OF OF nnsonnd
mind, &c, &c, shall be permitted to
vote. This is the. only law heretofore
provided by which the right of suf
frage is defined in this State The Act
of 25th February 1865 makes no addi'
tional qualification necessary, unless the
person who OSas TO tl9te iS challenged
As he does not offer 10 vote before the
registar, lie cannot bs challeuged there
fore the qualifications as. heretofore
provided by law remain exactly in ac'
cordance with the copstitutioual pro
vision above quoted
Ia ha.
doubt as TO such persons loyalty he
shall administer 20 him the test oath;
To what point Of TING does the term
loyalty refer : By every rule OF gram
mar and construction 1t must TefeI TO
the present time II TO the past, does II.
refer to one, two, five or ten years past
If 1t means anything, i refers to the
present loyalty of such person. Then
what evidences OF loyalty can any hon
est registrar require 10 convince hiin OF
the loyalty of any person who offers to
register We hnmDly think, whatever
NAV have been the attitude OF such
person at some past period OF his life, II
he exhibits the evidence Of his having
taken the oath ui allegiance prescribed
by the Amnesty Proclamation Of the
President Of the United States aud
that he has faithfully complied with its
requirements for a year and more, il
vould be sbeptcal aud disingennous, to
say the least, to doubt his Loyalty aud
no sensible OF honest registrar would
think OF doing 50 If swearing allie
glance TO a g0yeinmenI aud a faithful
compliance there with fOt more than
twelve months viii not remove all
doubt as to such p-,~OD ; loyalty what
evidence would il require Any one
who would doubt. under such state OF
facts, would BE inyrcd,tOns indeed. He
is influenced ~ Ctbe. motive, than the
Investigation Of truth and II honest
purpose to arrive 3t ju7i "ouci",roh
Therefore ~ pronounce ., tue newt
able conclusion 0i the above. that any
person who j. qualified voter under
the constitution + tL'7 state an". who
has faithfull> supported the Con,tltu
ton and The laws If the United States
for twelve months ,ol during the time
he has been under it protection and
has raEen the benefit Of the amnesty
proclamation Is entitled to have his
name registered d, qualified yots, uDder
the Registration a.. Of this State,
II few days ! propose sending you
another letter. ii which will review
that part II ths Sth section Of the act
which refers to the duty Of the County
Board of Registration III coauscsion
with the above argument.
Yours. &C, GREENBRIER