The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-06-21

WHAT we desire to impress upon the
minds Of all is this: We have in this
State, using the forcible language of the
INTELLIGENCER, system "ot registration
which puts the control Of suffrage ~ the
hands of IRRESPONSIBLE and S0mettnI Is
UNsCRUPULoUs agents mho 10 not GI'cGIyS
stop wtth MoSo scho arc ercluded &y 6aD, d@F
tCGO, to CRAFTY personal dislike or mcrcenary
ends, depriUc Of tho GlLlOt men Of tier 0tcn
nltticat faith arho hare Il right to cote under
Tie hp. The number thus excluded, in
defiance of law, and who did not vote in
this State at the last election, is estimated
by the INTELLIGENCER of June 9th, ut
from 5000 to 10000.
We copy the foregoing from the Regis
ter'S editorial column OF yesterday. The
statement that the INTELLIGENCER made
the estimate" therein stated is down
right falsehood. Here is the kind Of an
estimate we did make:
There is u very large per cent Of per-
sons, at any election, who do not go to the
polls. Just how many or what proper
tiOn they bear to the whole voting pOpu-
lation, we hive no means at hand TO show,
nor any data by which II close estimate
could be made. Those not voting in this
Congressional District at the lust Prcsi-
dental election, numbered no less than
5,444; and yet we suppose u thousand
would cover all the persons in the district
DISTINGUISHED for acts of rebellion. With
the facts here exhibited every one can
figure for himself; but, us u rough csti-
mate, we Judge there were from three to
four thousand in each Congressional Dis
triCt who were entitled to vote at the last
Presidential election but did not"
We were speaking here ofpcrsons who
had entitled themselves to vote by regis
tering-persons who could so to the polls
il they chosc-and our estimate was that
at the last Presidential election there were
5000 tod 900 such persons in each Congress
sional District who did not vote, whether
from Indifference, absence or other
cause The Register tries to make its
readers believe we said these 5000 or
10000 were excluded from registration
in defiance of law" We said no such
thing or anything like it; and in the nrti-
Gle of June 9th said nothing At all about
improper exclusions from registration, the
Registers ia!iciSed quotation on that sub
ject being from an article in our columns
last summer.
III some counties Of the State, rs in
Greenbricr under DR.. CAIDwEIL.S adj
ministration, persons have been excluded
from registration improperly. There may
still be cases of the kind in some counties,
ind doubtless are. We would not know
how to go about an estimate OF their num-
her, hut presume il is not large. 1t Is
certainly very small in this district. In
this county, for example, there were $50
white males over 81 who did not vote, us
shown by our table.
From the clerk Of the Board Of Rcgistra-
ton we learn that the number of persons
in the county disrranchiscd for acts Of re-
bcllion is only go There may be 95, or
may he 50, persons in the county who are
assessed for capitatiOn tax but cannot
register for lack of proper naturalization.
We are satisfied that the latter Is M out
side figure; but this leaves us still some $50
entitled to register who did moi vote. Now
the Register quotes us ~ saying all these
persons are excluded from registration in
defiance of law. We have shown that We
did not say so. But now what the fact on
that point? Will the Register say there
are $50 such cases in this county, Will
it say there is single one? If there is
point It out. Now, the fact is that the reg
istration in this county is greater than the
assessors report Of cNptatiOns. The lat
ter for 1869 is 5G51, and the former for the
same year 5,1i9. The difference may be
due to imperfect work on the part OF
the assessors, or it may be due to fact
that nearly always exists, that some names
are borne on the register after the party is
dead or has removed. But clearly no
body is excluded from registration
in defiance of law in this county.
1t is about the same throughout
this Congressional District. The same is
mcaSurably true all over the State.
-
THE Border Journal, reviewing the Dem.
cratic nominations, says the Democratic