The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-01-29

To these penalties there Is no limit.
The fines are not to be less than q cer-
tain amount nor the imprisonment less
than the specified time, but they may
be greater to any extent. would call
your attention, too, to singular omis-
sion in the bill. While the Boards Of
Registration may strike from their lists
at their pleasure any number Of quail
fed voters with full assurance that in
fact no punishment can be inflicted; on
the other hand they may add thereto to
any extent they please, whether the
names inserted be those Of qualified
voters or not, and no penalty is pro-
vided by the bill for such an offense.
The 9th and 9TH sections of the bill
provide that the Boards shall hold n
meeting on the first Monday of May,
1867, for the purpose of correcting the
register Of each township and ward,
'seither by adding thereto the names Of
persons omitted or striking therefrom
the names of persons improperly there
ON An oath is to be administered to
every person applying for registration,
and to every person whose name it ispro-
posed to strike from the register, if he
happen to be present. Ii he refuse to
answer, or the Board are pleased to
consider his answer rs evasive, his
application may be rejected or his name
be stricken from the register.
This oath is alike remarkable in what
it omits and in what IL contains.
The registration act of 1856 required
the voter to be sworn to support the
Constitution of the United States and
the Constitution of this State. This
unmeaning formality is no longer re-
quired. The oath might lie heavy upon
the eonsciences of some few ofthe favored
voters. The farce Of pretending TO
respect the Constitution is abandoned,
and tender cOnsciences will be no fur
theI CALLED by so inconyenient an obli-
Cation. q. .a.f .s.. -.
The person who appears before the
Board of Registration to beg the right
of suffrage from his masters, Is to be
sworn to answer certain questions
which are set forth in the bill. Among
them are the following:
'"Have you, since the first day Of June,
1861, borne arms against the United
States" Have you, since that time,
given aid, comfort, assistance, counte-
nance or encouragement to persons en-
gagged in any way IN upholding or sns-
tanning the so-called Confederate States
of America, or any rebel State Govern
mentW
The registration act of 1865 required
the voter To be sworn that he had not
voluntarily borne arms against the Uni
ted States, nor roluHtariiy given aid,
comfort or assistance to persons engaged
in armed hostility TO the United States.
The word rolptdrily is now omitted.
All are to be forever disiranchized,
whether their acts were voluntary or
involuntary.
Tho conscript who was forced into
the Southern army; he who supported
the Government of the Union rs long as
it could protect him, and Mt last yielded
an unwilling submission to what he
could not help; he who has given COM
fort OF assistance to wounded enemy
in the hospital or on the field; the father
who assisted the son; all are 10 be dis
franchised, equally with the most rabid
secessionist in the land.
Another question to be answered un-
der oath is as follows:
"Have you at any time since that ne
riod June |, 1861, and during the late
rebellion, by your conduct or converse
ton, opposed the policy of, or the means
used by, the government Of the United
States in suppressing said rebellionr
Were you opposed 20 the emancipa-
ton proclamation when il first made
its appearance Did you disapprove
of military arrests, the proclamations
of martial law. the interference with
elections by military authorityf Did
you favor the removal of Gen. MClel-
land from command in 1862 If by
your conduct or conversation you OPP
posed any one of these measures, or any
other measure of the Government dur
ing the war, the edict has gone forth
you are to be disfranchised. Even re-
pentancc will be Of no avail. You may
have seen and acknowledged your error,
but the law is inhexible. The error
once committed is beyond recall. A
test like this would disfranchise Gree
ley and Sumner, Stevens and Wendell
Phillips, who often during the war, by
conduct and conversation, opposed aud
denounced the means used by the Gov
ernment in suppressing the rebellion.
Those who voted for General McClel-
Ian for the Presidency In 1864, did 30
because they were opposed in some par
ticular or other to the policy Of the
Government in conducting the war.
They are all to be disfranchised to-
gethcr.
Among the means used by the Gov
ernment in suppressing the rebellion
was the tender Of amnesty and pardon
to peturning rebels, authorized by Con-
gress and proclaimed by the President.
Are our Radical brethren who opposed
and have tried to nullify this measure
Of the Government, ready now to take
this oath, and secure the right Of suf.
frage by perjuryf ,1'r
You have the right, fellow citizens, TO
discuss the acts of your rulers, aud Of
course to differ with them. Republican
government can exist upon no other
principle. To abolish it is to establish
tyranny. .rI
must bring this communication 10 o
close, though there are other portions Of
the Bill which you ought 10 understand.
have, perhaps, said enough to induce
you 10 examine it and think for your
selves.
What ought you to do should this Bill
become iawf That question can be
considered hereafter and you must de-
termiDe il for yourselves. We must meet
and consult together, consider the whole
situation carefully, and take snch mcas-
ures as the defense Of our rights and the
public safety may require,
DANIEL LAMB.
Wheeling, Jan. 2s, 1867.