Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1867-06-08


election shall be held for delegates to con-
vcntion and rule is given to fix the num-
bcr of delegates to be elected and the apror-
tionmcnt of these delegates in proper civil
subdivisions, giving to each sub. division rep
rcscntation in ratio Of the registered votes
The third section provides that at tho cleo
tion for delegates registered voters shall vote
Tor or against cenyentlo!!~ 40. an u,vy..vm
~ -.tify the constitution that may be framed
by the delegates, and the right to vote at this
election is confined to person registered
The sixth section provides that al elections
in the States mentioned IN said original Act
shall, during the operations OF such Act, be
by ballot; and all officers making said regis
tration of voters aud conducting said elections
shall, before entering upon the discharge of
their duties take m enth prescribed by the
Act of July ., 1862, entitled " An Act to
prescribe an oath Of Office"
The first consideration which requires my
attention upon the question as TO the right to
vote arises upon the registration of voters
The question of qualification OF aisYnaliaca-
tion is fixed by registration. No power is Civ
cn to any ether board or any other authority
after r,gistation is completed to change the
registry. Persons whose names asc admitted
to registration entitled to vote sabjcct 20
the Limitation hereinafter mentioned, and none
other. This registration must be completed
before the first day of September, 1861. Yhe
functions Of The buard as board Of regisra-
ton cannot be extended beyond that fixed
time but after that the duties which remain
to be performed by the officers composiAg this
board arc limited to holding and superntcnl
ing elections aud making the proper returns
to the commanding general This brings us
to the direct question, who are entitled to reg
istration?
lst AS to citizenship and residence, no
person is entitled to vote who shall not be res
| idcnt in the State for one year previous to the
day OF election 1t Is not necessary that this
prcvions residence for Al year should exist at
the time the person applies for registration.
y person IN all other respects entitled to vote
is entitled to registration, although he has not
at that time been resident Of tho State for
full year; for we find in the supplements 4 ct
| tina. the oath, ns tn residence does not require
the applicant to swear that he has bhsn been
II resident for year, but only requires him to
state the number of months of his residence,
contemplating period less than as weA az, a
full term of twelve mouths, Therefore, ms. to
such person so registered, if i; happen at
any election subsequently to be held that the
tine of his residence, counting from the day
Of election, docs not cover entire ycar, sc
cannot vote ut such election for this supple
mental Net does not, nss to residence, change
/ the provisions of the original Act, rs il is c%-
! pr,ss'y provided by it, rs to registration. that
/ it shall include only those who arc qualified to
vote by the original Act. 10 carry out the
purposes of the law in this respect, uT resi-
dencc, the board Of registration should note
opposite to the name of the person whose res
1 4 4 .t.. r..n IL.
exact time of his residence.
| AS to citizenship, tho qualification stated
| in the original Act is citizenship Of the State
hut by the first clause, first section, cf the
supplemental Act. registration is to be made
Of male citizens of the United! States. As to
the oath, the applicant is only required to
swear that he is a citizen of the State: ] am
OF the opinion that the phrase citizen Of the
, State, as used in the OATH is intended to in
clude only such persons rs are citizens OF the
| United States ant citizens of the State, and
that an alien who has not been made citizen
of the Unitnd States cannot safely take the
oath but as the board Of registration have
only the authority to administer the prescribed
oath, they cannot require any further oath or
proof as 10 ei!iz"nship and if an alien not
made citizen Of the United States takes the
oath, lie takes it at his peril and is subjccs to
prosecution for perjury.
I'd. AS to age. No one is entitled to reg
istration WHO is not at least twcnty-one years
of age on the day lie applies for registration.
In this respect qualification as to age differs
fs9p ,N'l N'nl"l,,lMeston ms to residence; and the
registration has relation to the day of TcGs. s.
tration, and not to the day at subsequent clec.
ton.
Sd. Next, as to d;sfranchisomcnt, shall
consider the various clauses Of iistranchisc.
mcnt according to the order and division into
sections hcrcinbcfore stated, and first MS to the
general clause declaring acknowledgements -
The fifth section of the original Act denies
the right to vote TO such as may be dsfran
chlscd for participation in the rebellion, or for
felony at common law. The words here used,
{" in the rebellion" must be taken to mean
the recent rebellion. but thosup supplemental Act
enlargcs the disqualification. and requires the
applicant TO swear that he has not been dis
tranchiscd for participation in any rebellion or
civil war against the United States, nor for
felony committed against the laws Of any
State OF the United States.
What, then, works a disfranchisemcnt un-
der thesn provisions? Whether VIC considev
this disability as arising out of participation in
n rebellion or tho commission Of felony, the
mere fact Of such nartcib botinn mr. commission