The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-07-07
RepistPation.

10 Section 81, it will be seen that Ine
listing of voters prior to the Fall eiec-
tion will commence in less than QUO
month from this date. each registrar
shall sit at some convenient place III
his township or ward, on the tr't MON
dan in Aagust in each year in order 70
make a correct register of all the quaii-
fed voters therein" On Monday, Au'
gust 2d, 1869, the township registrars
will begin their work. As there arc
many properly qualified but unreglster-
ed voters in this State who may wish TO
have their names enrolled, we desire 10
advise them how and when and where
they may be registered.
|. Who are entitled to rote' The Con-
stitution, Art. 3, Sectiol.l, says 1.-THE
white male citizens of the State shall
be entitled to vote at all elections held
within the election districts in which
they respectively reside" To this rule,
however, the same instrument makes
the following exceptions: First, minors;
second, persons of unsound mind; third,
paupers; fourth, those who are under
conviction of treason, felony or bribery
in an election; fifth, those who have
not resided one year in the State and
thirty DAYS in the county where they
propose to vote; sixth, those who aided
the rebellion. All persons included in
these classes are held to be disqualified
and will be denied registration. As to
the five classes first named, there can
be ne question. Parties thus disquali-
fed are generally aware Of their dis
qualification and seldom seek to exer-
else the elective franchise. The only
question of Importance in this connec-
tion then is, what constitutes aid to the
rebellioni In general terms it may be
said that every man who can conscien-
tiously take the cath prescribed in Sec
tion 81 of "the Registration Law" is
"loyap within the meaning of its max
ers and therefore entitled to be enrolled.
Every man who can swear that he did
not voluntarily bear arms in behalf of
the rebellion, that he did not hold or
try to held any office under rebel author
ity, that he did not advise any person to
aid the rebellion and that he himself
never aided the rebellion by contribu-
ting money, arms or material to be used
in support Of the ContederaCy, has a right
to be registered. Contributions of
money, food, clothing, &C., to relieve
the personal necessities of friends or
relatives connected with the rebellion
do not constitute "aid to the rebellion"
! Charity is not treason. He who minis
tered to the immediate physical wants
of rebel soldier, not from sympathy
with his cause. but from purely humane
motives, is not thereby disqualified.
ANY other view would disfrancbiso the
member of Sanitary or Christian Com
mission who gave cup of water to a
dying Confederate.
III HoW are qualified rioters to obtain
registration By applying on the first
Monday in August to the registrars OF
the townships in which they respect
lively reside. This is the day appointed
Dy law for the commencement of regis
tration. The registrar is required to
give notice of the time and place of his
sitting, five days previous to that time,
by notices posted in at least five public
places in his township. If possible all
applications should be made upon the
first day. But if from any cause, voters
fail to apply upon the first Monday in
August, the law provides for subsequent
enrolment. Section % requires the
registrar to return his books to the clerk
of the board of registration for his
county "on or before the first Monday
in September" and it provides that the
registrar "shall, upon application, reg
ster the name of any qualified voter in
his township or ward, or of any person
who will become such rs aforesaid, al
any time before returning his register to
the clerk of the board of Registrations;
aud no such register shall be returned be
fore the tCentieth day Of august in any
gear" This then gives the voter from
the first Monday in August to the
twentieth day of August for
registration by the township
registrar, and if that officer does not re-
turn his books upon the twentieth, then
the voter can be registered upon any
day prior to such return, which may, if
the registrar so elect, be delayed until
the first Monday in September. This is
the law, but as delays are proverbially
dangerous the voters first duty is to Sc
cure registration upon the day on which
the books are opened. Section 30
makes it part of the duty of the county
boards at their meeting on the first
Monday in October "to receive, act
upon and decide original applications
for registration in cases where the ap.
plicant shows good cause fer not having
made such application to the registrar
of his township or ward" Illness or
unavoidable absence while the township
registrar is completing his lists is about
the only "good cause" that can be at all
relied upon to support an original ap.
plication before the county boards.
Even then there is risk to be run. We
would advise all who can, to secure en-
rolment before the township registrar.
When the township registrar refuses
to enrol voter an appeal may be taken
to the county board at its October meet
ing, and if the appellant show to the
board that he is qualified voter, the
law, in Section 35, requires the board to
register his name.