The Van Buren press., 1873-02-11
The Proposed Amendment,

The following l. the amendment to the
State Constitution. to be voted ON, on the ID
day of March next;
Pporosrp AMENDMENT TO rnE CONSTITUTION
which, II adopted and ratified in the man
uer prescribed by article thirteen, shall
thereafter be substituted for and known IA
article eight OF the Constitution Of the State
Of Arkansas:
SECTION l. The following class OF persons
shall not be permitted to register vote or
hold office IN this State: Persons who may
have been convicted before any court OF this
State, or of the United States, or OF any other
State Of any crime punishable by law with
death or confinement in the penitentary
Provided. That any person disfranehised uii-
der this section who may be paroned or his
sentence commutcd, such pardon or conlnu-
t,ion Of sentence shall remove all disabilities
imposed by this section; panpers, idiots and
insane persons.
Section q Every male person who has at
tanel the age of twenty zone years and who
is citizen of the United States, or who has
legally declared his iAtention IL become n
citizen thereof. who shall have resided in this
State six months, and In the county in which
hSo otsrasio H. sIs,il I,il Is; BE deemed qualified
elector, and entitled to vots, 4 registered, un-
less disqualified by some one of the clauses OF
section one of this article.
Section 3. In all elections by the people
the electors shall vote by ballot, The secrecy
of the ballot shall be preserved inviolatc, aud
the general assembly shall provide suitable
laws for that purpose. On the day OF an
election held by the people, no clcctor shall
be subject to arrest on any civil process. The
General Assembly shall pass adequate laws
to prevent the sale Of intoxicating liquors on
the day on which any election by tie people
may be held.
Some difference of opinion exists as to the
proper course TO pursue, at the election on the
3d March. Objection is made to the wording
of the latter part of section second 1t is
thought bv some that there Is snare in the
words. 7" IL registered" Now, so far as we
are concerned, we intend to advocate the
adoption Of this amendment. Our reasons
are few. but we hold them to be good ones.
In the Iirst place, we see no snare in the words
named, because the certificate of regi.tra-
tioh. under our election law, is a necessary
erideace of qualification whatever this quail
fcation may be. The Registrars cannot re-
fuse registration. IL the applicant therefor
does not fall under the disabling section, No
]. 1t will be observed, that when this amend
ment Is adopted, 1t Is TO be substituted for ar
tlclc elSit, oi the present CONSTITUTIONS Ihis
substitution being effected. there is no longer
any political Acknowledgement to mar the
face of our fundamental law-and the last
traces Of the war Is forever wiped from our
Constitution. Again, ifthe Conservative por-
iion of our people oppose this amendment, it
will afford the Radicals fair excuse to at
tribute its defeat to their opposition, and they
may well charge that they offered enfran-
chlscment and we rejected it. Let us not sf-
ford them this excuse. lf they intend to de-
feat the amendment, by their use OF the power
they possess over the returns and count of
votes let them bear the odium Of forfcitlng
their pledges. They have promised us this
liberation from political thraldom. and now
offer 1t to us. We cannot be 50 unwisc "a to
act in such manner as to give them an excuse
to refuse 1t, by proclaiming this amendment
defeated by those who have so long clamored
for it. Let all remember the day and go for
ward and vote "fur amendment" Let the
3l Of March, 1873, be the day of our final
emancipation from political bondage.