The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-02-02

VI
The Bill to Destroy the Registry
Law. {
The "blll toSamenas me registry Jaw
will be considered N ". .hegse ot1Dele
gateS,on Its second reading totIaN hi
provisions are briefly these; 1t totally
abOliShes the boards Of egiStEAtion az they
now exist ~ provides tort etmmediatt
removal ofall monument officers otrcgH
!Eation, and terminates the power = q
point OlheEs.j. ~ pEoVl9eS AoEE1l0 oIec1tol
ofcounty boards at me elecaonao 30 heli
next OStobeE, twp being voted tor eu'
three being elected ssp thatthe majority
| party would steye two and the minority
lone Of each board, ltproVides that Il tht
commissioners ofregistratiOn thus elected
do not qualify In fourteen days, tho boar'
Of supervisors may declare vacancy and
E'Hll It. Until such election and qualifca'
ton take place, the functions GG the boards
Of registration are conferred on the boards
Of supervisors, each supervisor to l'c reg
lstnr In his townSttp. It Is further pro
vttled that tho registrar shall not refuse ia
register any one who takes tho test oath
and that tho board shall strike of no dile
except upon proper evidence Of fdisgualtti'
Cati6a. .SThU biTl'als6 limits tile Jlrisdic'
tion of the boards so ~ 10 permit appeals
from r. thSr DECISIONS lss e i1e s2"rss ini's2'
present. %
To some features of this bill there
seCmssto a lleSno well founded, objection
THAT there drE fist the Same fcds6ns ,f0E
allowing the people to elect their officers
Eof registration as to elect any other officers
who exercise their powers, there can be
M doubt. A registry lA# VI ne ncrma.
nent must undoubtedly embQdy this pro
vision. Tho further EpSdtision that the
election should be 20 arranged that tho
highest minority candidate would be
chosen 10 tho tllirlmembcr of each hoard,
Is als6p y nhleHt6rious.' II seems proper, TOO
that song limit should be imposed on tho
discretion tdfl tIic township registrars
whose duties ought 70 be merely execu-
tive, judicial powers being exercised by
the boahf and bytllcm alone; and tliattGG
bnartl. should not bc the final tribunal
from whose action there, cQp, be, no up
pal. '''>' ~ '''''''''''-
But 1t would he Of little avail to put
these or any other provisions in the law II
the rest Of thfS bill Swerc SlSo made lazy;
for, If we comprehend It's effect, the law
would be- SO crippled as TO be nearly
worthless. All'the existing machinery Is
10 be violently broken up at once on the
passage Of The act Then what assurance
Is there that fhe b0ards- of supervisors
would, accept tho new functions thus
thrust upon themH somo might, but 9TH
tiohs DO st' nna peTer being St forth in tie
Constitution, where Is thcpower to obllgc
them tOi aGceptI and exercise! othcrsH
There are good reasons why they ought
not, IL willing. The board of supervisors
isya:legislatiye bOtly, i and tho poweFs yol
'tho boards of registration are Judicial.
The two cannot be combined adVaqta'
geously, nor without violence to the intcn'
tion O, tho Trainers Of tho Constitution.
The supervisors, the comfy legislature,
1iave important Interests in their hands,
pecuniary and otherwise. They exercise
control Within Gtifeib e6f6tt8, which
might bo perverted to the great injury of
4hein Psqpl& Teput intp 4he hguds pf a
,basE otac6B holding Web 4 place Rhd
aexeEclsmg snGh pbwcfTI complete cddh6l
of the sufFrages Of the county, would be
subjecting them to a temptation to
use those powcs %, keep themselves ID
qalte 1Biths mi Consistent with judi
ci6as lbgsadoa.g w.
But aside from the obvious Impropriety
Of putting these functions into the hands
OF the supervisors, we do not see what
guarAntJ ibis bll affords that the law
would be enforced at all, In many Of
the cchinties between now and the clec.
ton ofthe tlrst boards tho people. The
Democratic ,ra1ii party as a whole Is opposed
to the enforcement Of the registry law
andftl IaNfaintoe oe@cludp that ihI every
county where majority of the supervls.
ors ara Democratic tho law. would be, 4
III 3,1hl i1E,, .i..,o,,1a IL III, kS,aS