The Lincoln County herald., 1870-09-29
The Registry Law.
M'CLuRa's INSTRUCTIONS.

0 MCLURGs INSTRUCTIONS.
Complaints having come TO the chair
: man Of the State Republican committe
that the registry law was being illiberall
. constructed and harshly sp piled by reg
, istrars in different parts Of the State, h
, has thought it advisable to obtain fror
the Governor letter which shall, at leas
show his position upon the matter. Tha
, letter, which has been handed US 70
, publication, is as follows:
} STATE OF Missouri, J
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
CITY or JEFFERSON, Sept Is, 1870. }
General |. +. Shepard, Chairman STATE
Republican Committee:
! DEAR SIR-I very willingly compl,
with your request. Indeed am inclined
to do so for the reason that I have OBJ
served in newspapers that there is some
informal complaint Of the conduct of reg.
istrars in a few counties.
am sure there should be no cause fol-
complaint among law and order men
The registration law exists and good off.
GERS are sworn to execute it. No good
citizen, not entitled to registration, will
ask violation of the law. No good cit
izen, being a registrar, will be Influenced
by personal or PARTY feelings to exclude
one entitled to registration under the
law.
l assure you l shall be in favor, 80 far
as in my power, Of holding any officer
to the extreme penalty Of the law who
shall be shown to have been Influenced 10
his decisions, one Doy or the other, by
party or any corrupt feelings or motives.
What ticket man will vote must have
nothing to do in the matter.
The privilege of voting is one SO ga
cred that only tho plain letter of the law
should deprive him OF it. In other
words, the registration should be as lib.
eral as the the law will permit.
But not to be tedious, here copy the
instructions of J.. NJ. Conklin superin.
tendent Of tho Ninth district, a. fol-
lows:
Fulton Mo-, September l, 1870.
To D. j. Henderson, II. s. Turner and
j. L. Irwin:
GENTLEMEN Herewith respectfully
submit for your consideration few sug.
gestions, which l trust will guide you in
the discharge of your duties as officers Of
the law.
l. The constitution and law are to be
your guide, and in the execution thereof
you will be governed accordingly.
2 Erery man, Dhite or colored, entitled
under the constitution and law, must be
registered as qualified voters.
g. Give every man Q fair and Impair
tial trial, and if he is qualified from evi.
dence before you, register him at the
time of applying, and if not qualified
from the evidence before you, reject him
then and there.
4. Every man who takes the oath of
loyalty, must be registered, unless you as
registrars Of your o,on knowledge, or from
evidence brought before you at the time,
known that the applicant is disqualified.
5. Objections to the right Of a. person
being registered as an accepted voter,
should be heared openly, and before the
board upon charges preferred by the per.
son objecting. In all such cases let the
evidence be heard openly and before you,
giving each party ample time and oppor.
tunity to procure and be heard with his
testimony, and if from the evidence thus
heard, you are satisfied the party objected
to is disqualified, reject him, and if the
charges are not proved, register him.
8. See that every colored voter has
ample opportunity to register and also
take care that his privilege to be regis.
ycvoA vntav "a onx lor:aJ LIZ
any way impeded, hindered or obstructed
7. / would direct your attention to
those parts or sections Of the constitution
aud registry law, bearing upon your du.
ties as registrars. Study them carefully
ard endeavor to carry them out as therein
provided. Very respectfully,
L. NJ. CONKLIN.
superintendent Of registration Ninth dis
tric: Missouri.
II must be acknowledged that, 10
these Instructions, there is q spirit Of
liberty, and that at the same time the law
Is complied with. The fourth sugges-
ton consider the important one, and
also regard it as correct.
The ninth section of the registration
law bears On this point, and the Intention
OF the law cannot be questioned. 1t is,
that the person seeking registration and
taking the oath must DO registered, il the
registrars shall not, after dilligent inquiry,
be satisfied, from their own knowledge, or
from evidence brought before them, that
such person is disqualified.
Very respectfully, your obd't servant
w MOI IYDn