Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-08-01

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opinion as to the qualifications of a vO-
ter in said election, and where a voter
must deposit his vote. Please give your
opinion fully that L, and those acting
with me, may know the law and see TO
a faithful execution thereof, and you
will greatly Oblige.
=. NJ. STANLEY, Commissioner.
Mr.. P. NJ. STANLEY, Commissioners:
Yours of the thirtieth instant, asking
my opinion as to what constitutes the
qualification of voters, and also where
each properly qualified voter should de-
pOsit his ballot, is received. In reply TO
the first interOgatory, it is only necessa-
ry to refer you to Section l, of Article 1,
of the Constitution of the State of Ten
nessee, which provides that s'Everv
male person of the age of twenty-one
years, being a citizen Of the United
States, and a resident of this State for
tl0elue months and of the county sir
months next preceding the day of cleo
ton, shall be entitled to vote, etc.D See
also act approved June Is, 1870.
every male person is 4 citizen of the
United States who was born within the
limits thereof, or who being foreign
born has been naturaliZed according to
lllG requirements VI lLiE dEL VI OuEIE-
of the year 1902"
This act requires that two sets of pa
pers shall be taken from a court of com
petent jurisdictiOn-that is a declaration
of intention to become a citiZen-three
years before application for final papers,
and then a Judgment by said court de-
creeing citizenship to the applicant.
There is an exception in favor of the
children of aliens who are under age
when their parent is naturalized, they
the children being made citizens BY the
act of the parent.
There is also an exception in favor OF
alien minors who anne to this country
three years or more before they became
of age, they being required to take out
one paper, or rather make application
for citizenship without the previously
declared intention. This, l believe,
covers in the main the requirements of
the naturalization laws above cited.
In regard to the second ~interogatory
which you prOpOHnded, viz: As to the
place where a legally qualified voter
shall deposit his ballot, l refer you to the
act of our Legislature, approved June Is,
1870, which, in my judgment, when
properly construed, requires each vO-
ter to vote in his civil district, and If
there are one or more wards in his civil
district, that then he shall vote in the
ward in which he lives, or to apply the
law to this county, that those who live
in the country districts, without the
limits Of the city of Memphis, may
vote at any one box in their respective
districts, but that when a voter lives in
the efy limits, then he cannot vote
save in the ward in which he lives, al
though there are two or more wards in
that civil district. There is some ambi-
guilty in the language of this act, but
upon a consideration of the evils then
existing, and which were intended to be
remedied thereby, as well as from a fair
construction of the act itself, 1 am salts
fled that the above is a correct view of
the law, ODe which can work no hard
ship upon any properly qualified voter,
and which, at the same time, will pre-
vent much illegal voting. Very respect
fully.
L. Z. WRIGHT, Attorney General.
For the benefit of all concerned, l
procured for publication the foregoing
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