Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1870-10-11
Official Circular Relating to Registra-
ton.
STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA, J
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, 7
CHARLESTON, Sep. Is, 1870.

Since the instructions TO Doafus oI heSls-
tration and Township Registrars, issued from
this Department on the 18th day of June,
1870, concerted and mischievous plot to
subvert the pIainest provisions of our State
law, regulating the registration of voters, has
been inaugurated in many counties. The
parties engaged in it have seized upon the
act of Congress entitled IAN Act to enforce
the right Of citizens of the United States to
vote. &c" approved May 31st, 1870, [gen-
orally known as the 'Act to enforce the XVIII
Amendment to the Constitution of the Uni
ted States and by false aud violent con-
structions of its provisions, sought to convert
it into an instrument Of terror with which to
intimidate the Registrars. Boards of Regis
tration. and Election Officers. So far has
this scheme been carried out, that the Reg
istrars in all the counties were threatened with
fiue and Imprisonment if they refused to do
rs these self constituted interpreters of the
law demanded. In many counties the Reg
istrars were arrested and placed under heavy
bonds to appear before the United States Dis
trict Court, and in other counties were lodged
in the common jails all this because these
officers declined to violate the oaths they had
taken, by putting upon the registers of voters
the names of persons disqualified to vote un-
der the Constitution and laws Of the State.
AS soon as the violent proceedings thus in
stituted could be brought before the proper
authorities, they were declared illegal. aud at
once ordered to be dismissed. When the
Attorney eneral of tho United States was
apprised of the prosecutions instituted against
Registrars, lie promptly ordered their disoon-
tlnuance as Illegal the Grand jury, at the
session of the United States District Court
| held at Clarksburg, on the 24lh day of Au-
gust, 1870, failed to fad single indictment
against the Registrars; while the decision of
| the Hon. Hugh l.. Bond, Judge of the 4th
| Judicial Circuit of the United States, in the
McIlwce hnLeus corpus case heard on the 2Gth
| u!t.., at Martinsburg, swept away the last
shadow of pretense remaining to those who
had commenced prosecutions against the
| State officers. By the proceedings just re-
cited, it will be seen that the State authors
ties have been fully sustained in their con-
structon given to the enforcement Act" of
| Congress and in the instructions issued to the
| Boards of Registration and other officers whose
| duty it is to execute laws of the State.
Your duty. therefore, Is plain. Execute
the law relating to the registration Of voters,
as formerly instructed, iearIcsSly and impnr>
TALLY not permitting yourselves for mo-
ment to be deferred by intimidation, threats
of prosecution or violence; exclude no citi-
zen from registration who is entitled to vote !;
register no one who is not entitled to vote
In thus honestly executing the law, you will
be sustained with whatever power is ut my
| command.
The attempted subvertion of the laws of
the State and the questions raised by it, make
| it necessary that should suggest few in>
structions to Boards Of Registration in addi-
tion to those already given.
| Whnunvpr th,, ROur1 nf RrriStrntiOn ia of
opinion, after an examination of the registers
Of voters returned by the Registrars, that any
person whose name has been registered is not
qualified voter for any cause mentioned in
section | , of article 3, Of the Constitution of
| w, Va, the last clause OF which provides.
that ''no person who. since the first day OF
June, eighteen hundred and sixty-one, has
! given or shall give voluntary aid or assistance
to the rebellion against the U. S., shall be al
| lowed to vote at any election therein unless
he has volunteered into the military or naval
service of the United States, aud has been, or
shall be honoraby discharged thercfrom," it
will be the duty of the Board in every case,
as we'll where such person was required by
the register to take and subscribe the oath
described in section 8 of chapter OF the
Code of West Virginia, as where he was not
| SO required, to cause notice to be served at
least three days before the return day thereof
upon such persons to appear at their rcyut."
meeting on the first Monday in October, to show
cause if any he can, why his name shall not
be stricken from the register of voters Such
notice should be issued and served in con-
fornity with sections 81, S5 and 81 of said
chapter 3. If such person does not appear as
requested by said notice, or if appearing he
does not ''prove to the satisfaction of the Board
that he is Il qualified voter in the township in
which he has been regis cred, - it will be the
duty of the Board to strike his name from
the register of voters" 1t will be per
ccived that by section 35 of said chapter, the
Board has right to ask the party who has
been registered, and that they arc Of opinion
is not qualified voter, any question the Board
may deem necessary, and has also. right tC
examine, upon oath, such witnesses as the
Board may deem proper, or, the party inter
ested may produce for the same purpose and
if after hearing all the evidence, the Board
sis not satisfied" that such person is a quail
fed voter, either because he was in the Con
fcderate Army, or for any other cause, it vii
be the duty of the Board, no matter wha
oath he has taken or offers to take, to strike
his name from the register Of voters. You
also see that by section 60 of said chapter j
if the Board cannot get through at the saIG
rcgHtdI meeting on the first Monday in DC
tober, or at any other meeting with the busI'
ness it has to do, it may adjourn from dGy tc
day until the business is completed.
w 4. STEVENSON, Governor.
SPONGE CAKE.-Six eggs, two cups of su
gar beat the yoks aud sugar together five
minutes, then add one even teaspoOnful o
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