The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-09-30
The Rights OF white Men.


question at issue and is still combating
a fallacy of its own invention. Shall
all the white men who are legally quail
flied voters under the constitution ofthe
State of West Virginia be permitted to
vote at the ensuing election? THIS is
the real question, and we are contend,
ing for the rights OF white men posses
sed Of all tine necessary qualifications to
vote. Weare contending against the
right of the Governor and his mlnlons
to disfranchise whom they will. We
are invoking the sid of Federal au-
thority to protect legally qualified
white men against the monstrous wrongs
which have been and are being commit.
ted by the Boards Of Registration in this
State. We hope we have stated this
position often enough and plainly
enough to reach the comprehension OF
our Quincy street neighbor, and now let
the Inteiligencer come to the point.
On the Goth OF September 1869, that
paper admitted in an editorial article,
denouncing this infamous system:
I'VE maintain feature OF registration
which puts the control of suffrage in
the hands of irresponsible and some
times INSCRIPTIONS agents, ,gho do not
ai,oays stop leith hOse,oho are e1clnded
Jy LaV, but rho TO crafty personal DIS
! hkss or merceaary ends, depriee Of the
ballot men ottheir o,on political tath Vhc
haze RICH, TO vote ,ogder tie LaO. And
he practical operation Of this restriction
{ on suffrage in many counties IS 10 put the
entire control OF taxation, disbursement ana
representation IN the hands Of one-hag,
one,tomth, one-eighth, or even less, Of The
tar-paNng ei6zens of tie county Now
these are facts which we cannot ignore.
These facts still exist. The Board:
of Registration, (uuder direction OF the
Governor it is believed are still en-
gagged in the disreputable work OF deny
ing the suffrage to men who have a
right to vote under the law. Even IN
his published circulars Governor STEW
ENsox directs the registrars to pay nc
regard to the oath OF the applicant oil
to any proof he may adduce touching
his right to vote; what instructions he
may have given in his private lette!:
can only be inferred from the conduct
| of the Boards in various counties IN re
fusing registration to persons who have
always been Union men, or who were
soldiers in the Federal army, merely BE-
cause, disgusted by the conduct OF the
Radicals in this State. they intended &c
vote the Democratic ticket at the en-
suing election. The within Of the regis
trars, often the meanest and most un'
principled men in the county, is made
The arbiter of the best man right &c
vote, and hundreds ofwhite men possess
ing all the necessary legal qualifications
of voters are thus kept from the ballot
box year after year by arbitrary, ire
sponsible and INSCRIPTIONS knaves.
These men now haye legal remedy
under the act Of Congress, and they are
determined to enforce it. That act, a:
rightfully and reasonably interpreted 10y
the Judge Of the United States District
| Court, takes from the Boards OF Regis
tration the discretionary power they
have heretofore so shamefully abused
and enforces the rights Of citizens who
are legally qualified TO vote. We do
not contend that it requires the Regis
trar TO record the name or The Officers
Of Election to receive the vote Of per-
son who j. a pauper, a minor, or OF
unsound mind, or who has not resided
the requisite length OF time in the State
or township, or who ever in any man
ner aided or abcttei the late rebellion.
But when a man against whom none of
these things can be proven, presents
himself for registration, the Registrar is
bound to record his name, and the
Officers OF Election are bound to re-
ceive bis vote whether he is registered
Or not. Now that is the law, and by
that law the Democracy OF West Nir
ginia mean to be gov rned in the cnsu,
ing election.
The excuses committed 10y the Boards
of Registration for the purpose OF de-
ieating the will Of the people and tas-
tening Radcalism upon the State for
two years longer in defiance OF the pop,
ular wish, are beyond further endur-
ancc. The law affords a remedy and
the white men Of the State are resolved
10 use II.