The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-09-01
The Enforcement Act-..IuStructiOns
To the District Attorney.

We take the following paragraph from
"WaShingttn Notes. in Tie New York
Sun Of Tuesday: . Il
uThe United States District Attorney
ior West Virginia has bean instructed TO
dismiss all prosecutions instituted against
Registers OF Elections for violation OF the
Fifteenth Amendment, when the offence
Is not the distinction forbidden in the
section OF the act which has reference
particularly to the rights Of colored PEG.
pie. The cases dismissed, therefore, have
reference entirely TO the cx.COntederates
who demand to be registered" :.
And the following from the Washington
dispatches Of same date to the New York
World: ~. .a:aatH ,air lW
1.-THE Assistant Attorney. General on
Saturday autographed to the United States
District.AttoFney Of West Virginia to
dismiss all prosecutions under the act to
enforce the right Of citizens Of tho United
States TO vote in the several States when
the offence is not the distinction forbid.
den in the second section Of the same act"
And the following from the Washing.
ton dispatches Of same date to the New
York Herald:
Information received here from trust.
worthy sources lead to the conclusion that
the Enforcement act is working both
wsys. The radical politicians in the
South arc finding out that they can suffer
by some Of the provisions Of the act, just
as well as their Democratic brethren. II
is said that the latter have conspired in
some Of the Southern States to prosecute
the radical registers, by bribing people to
amply for registration who are not entitled
to It. Men are hired; for instance to 60
from one county Of Western Virginia 10
another and there 10 apply to be register
cd as lawful voters. The registers, know.
ing such applicants to be bogus, refuse to
pit their names on the legal lists, where
upon the rejected applicants make suit to
recover $500 In each case for violation
Of the Enforcement act, The new law Is
very stringent ID Its terms, providing that
every State and Territorial officer shall
iuterpose no obstruction 70 registration or
the performance Of any other pre.requi.
\ site Tor voting under 8 penalty Of $500,
to be recovered by an action on the
case, with full costs and such al.
low9nce for counsel fees as the court
shall deem Just: and that every such Of.
fence shall be deemed "a misdemeanor,
punishable by fine and imprisonment, In
| Western Virginia many of 1.-The, sympa'
thizers with "the lost cauSe@e .hRYe got up
scores Of this kind Of prosecution, which
SO manitestly unjust, embarrasses the
Judge and District Attorney very Gonsid.
era6Iy The District Attorney of that
State telegrapbs for instructiOps1to the
Attorney General, who, after duly con
sidering the question, has answered, over
his own signature, that it is not necessary
to pay attention, to such bogus pr0Secu'
tions. In dispatch sent. by Attorney
General Alderman to-day to the District
Attorney Of West Virginia, he says.-
Dismiss all prosecutions under third section o.
the act to enforce the right Of citizens Of tht
Union, where the offence Is not the distinction
forbidden In the second { r1t-C-elks
The meaning Of this answer is, briefly
that only in cases where colOted citizen!
are rejected by registers need prosecution
be pressed 10 conviction. Mr. ;AkermaT
considers that the main design OF the &C
was to protect colOred citizens in thei
rights against the rebel disorganizers, ant
hence his answer. r#I-