The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1872-10-19
The Federal Election Law.
rom the n. o. Picayune. |

The Federal Election Law.
From the n. o. Picayune.l
The Kellogg election law, pass
ed just before the adjournment of
Congress, is an amendment to the
law of February, 1871, which was
itself an amendment to the law of
Nay, 1870. We have already Civ
Ell a synopsis of the Kellogg bill.
We now present a summary of all
the Federal laws bearing on cleo
tionS.
it is we'll to note in the first
place wherein the Kellogg law
differs from that ofFebruary, 1871.
The Kellogg laws extends to
every voting precinct in a State or
Territory a thorough Federal SUI
peryision of the process of regis
tration and of voting, which, by
the law of 1871, were restricted to
cities or towns of 10000 inhabi-
tauts. The application of the old
law to Louisiana rendered the
Federal supervision available
only in the city of New Orleans;
placing thereby only about one
fourth of the voters of the State
under the effects of the law, and
consequently allowing wide field
in the other parishes for fraud in
registration and voting sufficient
to completely paralyZe fair reg.
istration and vote in the parish of
Orleans.
The Kellogg law remedies this
by making the Federal supervi,
sion over registration and voting
complete and thorough in every
congressional district, and every
parish, or ward, or precinct. The
law provides that, whenever in
any county, or parish, or congress
sioRal district ere the registration
of voters for any congressional
election, ten citizens shall make
known to a Judge of the United
States Circuit Court their desire
to bave the registration and vo
| ting placed under Federal super
vision, it shall be the duty of the
Judge to open court in the mos
convenient place in the district
I at least ten days before the dats
of registration or of election: HI
shall then appoint for the parish
election ward or precinct that taa,
be named in the petition, two citi
zens, who shall represent differen
political pal ties, who must be abb,
to read and " rite English, ant
who shall be known and designa
tad as comptrollers or inspectro
OF election.
The old law attached no specia
qualification to the i.nspectros
The new law requires tn ut the.
shall be residents of the district
ward, precinct or poll where the.
: are to act, and that they shall b,
voters when appointed by tn.
judge. The Importance of this
features is visible at a glance.
The Kellogg law requires thai
the commissioner of elections pro
vided for in the old law shall bt
appointed as speedily as possible
after the passage of the act. EacI
Judge of a United States Circuit
Court is required to designate ont
or more United States distric
judges In his circuit, whose duty i
shall be to csrry into effect the reg
alations prescribed in then new ant
the old law.
The commissioner of elections
furnished these inspectors will
their books, blanks and instruc
lions; receives all petition for ap
piontment of inspectors and pre-
sents them to the udge, with sucl
information concerning parties a
he may be able to obtain. He re
ceives, files and registers, th
oaths of Office of the inspectors
and of all special deputy marshal
appointed under the act. He II
ceives, also, all certificates, II
turns, reports and registers q
every kind required by the act.
The inspectors are required t
personally supervise all the pre-
cesses of registration in their IT
spectives districts, ward, prt
cincts, or poll; they can dispute O
! challenge the claim of any perso
to register; they must keep a lis
| of these challenges. and send it
the United States Marshal, VIII
must forward it to- the commits
} sioners.
''The two inspectors are spciall
charged with the duty of revisin
or reviewing and identifying eac
!, ballot castat their respective poll
no matter what may be indorse