Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-02-05

an anu tneH lcCoEu IN your own CAS-. you can
never dispute This section of the bill il
Cexeuse the expression, a transparent hum
bug.
According to the 16rl,. section Of this bill
"no person shall be allowed to vote at ant
State, county, township. or municipal election
hereafter held in this State, unless his namc
has been registered as required by this act
And any supervisor or inspector of elections
or any other officer experimenting apy cleo
tioa, who shall permit any person to vote
whose nameis not SO registered shall be guilty.
OF mlsdeneanor, and on conviction thereof
shall be fined not less than fifty dollars and
imprisoned not less than thirty days at the
discretion of the jury" ~
But this provision is not enough. Tt is
further provided by the 21st section that
"any person who shall vote at any election
without being registered shall be guilty of n
misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall
be fined not less than fifty dollars or impris-
oned not less than ninety days at the disere
ton of the Jury"
To these penalties there is no limit. The
iues are not to be less than a certain amount
nor the imprisonment less than tho specified
time, but they may be. greater to ant extent:
would call your attention, too, to singular
omission in the bill. While the Boards of
Registration may strike from their lists at
their pleasure any number of qualified voters
with full assurance that in fact no punish>
ment can be inflicted on tie ether hand they
may add thereto to any, extent they please,
whether the names inserted be those of quail
fled voters or not, and no penaltyis provided
by the bill for such an oGcnse.
The 6than 7th sections of the bill pro
vide that the Boards shall hold meeting on
the first Monday of May, 1867, for the pur-
pose of correcting the register of each town
ship and ward, ''cither by adding thereto the
names of persons omitted orstriking therefrom
the names of personsimproperly thereon" An
oath is to'be administered TO every person ap-.
plying for registration, and to every person
whose name it is proposed to strike front the
register, if he happen to be present. If he
refuse to answer, or the Board are pleased to
consider his answer as evasiye, his application
may be rejected or his name be stricken from
the register.
This oath is alike remarkable in what it
olnits and in what it ,contains
The registration act CT 1866 required the
voter to be sworn to support the Constitution
of the United States and the Constitution of
this State. This unmeaning fJrrnalitJ Is no
longer required. The oath might lie heavy
upon the consciences of some few of the fl~
spect the Constitution is abandoned. and ten
der conscicnces will be no further CALLED by
so announcement On obligation.
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?"
''Ilave yOuj since that time, given aid, COM
fort, assistance, couutenance or encouragement
to persons engaged in any way in upholding
or sustaining the so called Confederate States
of America, or any rebel State Governs
ment"
The registration act of 1866 required the
voter to be sworn that he had not rOluntdri-
Ly borne arms against the United States, nor
UoluntariLy given aid, comfort or assistance to
persons engaged in armed hostility to the
United States. The word UolunfaIiIy is now
omitted. All are to be forever DISTINGUISHED.
whether their acts were voluntary or involun-
tary.
The conscript who was forced into the
Southern army; he who supported the Gov
crnmcnt of the Union as long as it could pro-
tect him, and at last yielded an unwilling
submission to what lie could not help; he who
has given comfort or assistance to a wounded
enemy in the hospital or on the field; the
father who assisted the son; all are to be dis
franchised, equally with the most rabid seces-
sionist in the land
Another question to be answered under
oath is as follows:
"l1ave you at any time since that period
(June l, 1861, y and during the late rebel
lion, by your conduct or conversation, opposed
the policy Of, or the means used by, the gov
eminent of the United States in SURPRISING
said rebellion"
Were you opposed to the emancipation
proclamation when it first made its appear
ance? Did you disapprove Of military arrests,
the procIamatiOns of martial law the inter
ference with elections by military authority -?
Did you favor the removal of Gen. McCiel-
Ian from command in 1862? If by YOUR
conduct or conversation you opposed any one
of these measures, or any other measure of
the Government during the war, the edict
has gone torth-you are to be DISTINGUISHED.
Even repentance will lie of no avail. You
may have seen and acknowledged your error
bnt the law is infiexiblc. The error once
committed is beyond recall A test like this
would disfranchise Greeley and Sumner.
Stevens and Wendell Phillips, who often
during the war, by conduct and conversation,
opposed and denounced the means used by
the Government in suppressing the rebel
lion.
Those who voted for General Mcclellan
for the Presidency in 1864, did so because
they were opposed in some particular or other
to the policy of the Government in conduct
ing the war. They are all to be DISTINGUISHED
together.
Among the means used by the Government
in suppressing the rebellion vas the tender
OF amnesty and pardon tn rcturnin0 rnbaE
authorized by Congress and proclaimed by
the President. Are our Radical brethren
who opposed ard have tried to nullify this
measure of the Government, ready now to
take this oath, and secure the right of suf-
fragc by perjury?