Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1873-09-26

the service Of the State or of the United States
government, on clerical or other duty, and who
do not vote where thus employed, shall not be
thereby deprived of the right to vote In their
several election districts if otherwise duly quail
fed.
XIV. AMENDMENT CONSTITUTION u. s.
s'SEcTIoN 1. The right of citizens of the Unit
ed States to vote shall not be denied or abridged
by the United States, or by any State, on account
Of race, color or previous condition of servtudc.
SEC. 2. The Congress shall have power to en-
force this article by appropriate legislation.
FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION.
The following instructions from His Excel
lency Governor Geary explain the duties of as
SCISSORS, registers and election officers, In regard
to all freedmen of this Commonwealth
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER.
HARRISBURG Pa, August Is, 1878.
To The Sheriff Of the County Of Northumberland
WHEREAS, The Fifteenth Amendment of the
Constitution of the United States us follows
'SECTIoN /. the right of the citizens of the
United States to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by any State,
on account of race, color or previous condition
of servitude.
''SEC. 2. The Congress shall have power to
enforce this article by appropriate legislation"
And whcreas, The Congress of the Uuited
States, on the 3lst day of March, 1870, patsed
an act entitled ''An act to enforce the right of
cetizens of the United States to vote In the sew.
eral States of this Union, and for other pur-
poses," the first and second sections of which
are rs follows:
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the United States OF
America in Congress assembled, That all cti-
zens of the United States, who are or shall be
otherwise qualified by law to vote at any cleo
ton by the people, in any State, Territory, dis
trict county, city, parish, township, school dis
trict municipality or other territorial sub -divi-
sions shall be entitled and allowed to vote in all
such elections without distinction of race, color,
or prcvions condition of servitude; any consti-
tuition, law, custom, usage, or regulation of any
State, Territory, or by, or under its authority,
10 the contrary Notwithstanding.
SEC. 9 And be il further enacted, That IT by or
under the authority of the constitution or laws
OF any State, or the laws of any Territory any
act is or shall be required to be done rs prere'
quisite or qualification for voting, and by such
constitution or laws persons or officers are or
shall be charged with the performenc of duties
in furnishing TO citizens an opportunity to per-
form such prerequisite or to become qualified to
vote 1t shall be the duty of every such person
and officer to give to all citizens of the United
States the same and equal opportunity to perform
such prerequisite, and to become qualified to
vote, without distinction of race, color or pre-
vious condition of scrvitudc and if any such
person officer shall refuse or knowingly omit
to give full effect to this section, he shall, for
every such ofIense. forfeit and pay the sum of
five hundred dollars to the person aggrieved
hereby, to be recovered by an action on the case,
with costs and such allowance for counsel fees
ms the court shall deem just aud shall also for
every such offense be deemed guilty of a msde-
mcanor and shall, on conviction thereof, be fined
not less than five hundred dollars, or be i'm
prsoncd not less than one month and not more
than one year, or both, at the discretion of the
court"
And ,chercas, it is declared by the second sec
ton of the vi article of the Constitution of the
United States, that ''This Constitution, and the
laws of the United States which shall be made
in pursuance thereof, shall be the supreme law
of the and, anything In the Con-
stitution or laws of any State to the contrary
Notwithstanding"
| A,d ,chereas, The Legislature of this Common
wealth, on the 9th day of April, A. d. 1870,
passed an act entitled ga further supplement to
the act relating to elections in this Common
! wealth, the tenth section OF which provides AS
| follows.
| SEC. 10. That so much of every act of Assem-
| bly, as provides that only white freemcn shall be
entitled to vote or be registered as voters or as
claiming to vote mt any general or special cleo
| tion of this Commonwealth, be and the same is
hereby replied and that hereafter all freemen,
! without distinction of color, shall be enrolled
and registered, according to the provisions OF the
| first section ofthe act approved 18th of April,
| 1869, entitled San act further supplemental to
! the act relating to the elections of this Common.
/ wealh," and when otherwise qualified under ex-
istng laws, be entitled to vote at all general and
and special elections in this Commonwealth"
And WhcreGS, II is my constitutional and ofn.
cial duty to ''take care that the laws be faith
| fully executed" and il has come to my know.
! ledge that sundry assessors and registers or vo
tiers have refused, and are refusing to assess and
registered divers colored male citizens Of lawful
age, and otherwise qualified rs electors:
Nou therefore, In consideration Of the premises
the county commissioners of said county ar,
| hereby notified and directed to instruct the sew
eral assessors and registers Of voters therein, tC
obey and conform to the requirements of said
! constitutional amendment and laws aud the
! sheriff OF said county is hereby authorized and
| required to publish in his election proclamation
for the next ensuing election hercn.recited con-
| stitutonal amendment, act of Congress, and
act of the Legislature 10 the end that the same
| may be known, executed and obeyed by oil Tho
assessors registers of voters election officers nd
others, and that the right and privileges guaran
tecd thereby may be secured to all the citizens o
! this Commonwealth entitled TO the same.
[SEALl Given under my hand and the great
seal of the State ut Harrisburg, the day and veal
first above written. JOHN w. GEARY.
Attest F. JORDAN,
Secretary of the Commonwealth.
! The qualified electors will take notice of The
following act of Assembly, approved the l2tl
day of March, 1869 An Act regulating the
mode of voting at all elections in the severa
counties OF this Commonwealth.
| SECTION I. Be il enacted by the Senate anC
House of Representatives of the Commonwealth
! Pennsylvania in the General Assembly met, and
it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same
That the qualified voters of the several count le;
of this Commonwealth, at all general, township
borough and special elections, are hereby here
after authorized and required to vote, by tickets
printed or written or partly written, severalll
classified as follows One ticket shall embrac,
the names of all judges of courts voted for, anC
TO be labeled outside, Judiciary !" one ticket
shall embrace the Rames of all State officers
/ voted for, aud be labeled Estate :" one ticke
shall embrace the names of all officers voted for
and members of Congress, If voted for, aud bt
labeled ''county ~ one ticket shall embrace lh'
names of all township officers voted for, and b'
labeled township one ticket shall embrace thu
names of all borough officers voted for, au(
shall be labeled ''borough;" and each class shal
be deposited in separate ba!iOt-boXes.
SEC. 2 That it shall be the duty the sheriff
IN the several counties of this Commonwealth t.
insert in their election proclamation hereafter
issued the first section Of this act.
JAMES r. KELLEY,
Speaker of the House of Representatives
DAVID FLEMING,
'... Speaker of the Senate
Approved, the thirteenth day of March, A. d
one thousand eight hundred and sixty-slx.
A. G. CURTIN,
Pursuant to the provisions contained in th
10Th section of the act aforesaid, the Judges o