The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-10-24
Usurpation of Authority by Commis-
sioner Peasants.

SOSSEkN ailNE [
"RIeuyuNp, Va, October ~, 1874. J
"Ron: " T. Pleasants, Chef SupeTet:SgtF
and United States Commissioner, "it"'
nao,,d, 70: -,
NV Dear Sir,-Wii you do US the kind-
ness to state whether or not Inc suPc. 's.i !,
recently appointed for the city OF n.enn'on"
are intended to act on The DAYS o. iys''''"
ton as we'll as on The day Oh eiec''on'
"Vcry respectfully, coo.or,v
81 shall call upon the supervisors lor the
city of Richmond to make copies OF tue regis
tratton books at each precinct, snd. II nsces-
sary, 10 verify the names registered. lucy
will consequently be employed III Tue Gays
Of registration, clcctlon-day. ana prooaDiy
several days il the interim.
Respectfully, NJ. f. peasants,
"Chief supervisor"
Where does Mr.. PLEAsANTs tud bis au-
thority for this bjgh-5anded measure
There is no act OF Congress no,o in force that
authorizes him TO do these acts. He evil
IDENTITY relies upon the 18Th section Of the act
approved February IS. 1871, which section
conferred the following powers. That Sec
ton gave 10 the chief supervisors, OF whom
Mr.. PLEAsASTS is one, power
TO require Of the supervisors o; election,
when necessary. lists OF the persons who
NAV register and vote, or either, IN their
respective election districts or voting pre-.
circts. and TO cause the names OF those
sspon am such list whose right 10 register or
vote shall te honestly doubled TO be yerlhed
by prorer inquiry and examination at the
respective place, by them assigned as their
places of residence"
NOW, what does that language mean!
Read The whole set, and you Will see that
Il means that these Federal supervisors
must be present when the names OF the
voters are registered, and must keep their
own lists. They are furnished with books
by Mr.. PLEAsAETs TO be used for this pur-
pose. But this duty Mr.. PLEAsASTs and
his supervisors have neglected (supposing
that the section is not repeaed), and he now
desires 10 force the State officers to allow
their books to he copied. This, as we read
tie law. is plain and uDmis!akabie usurpa-
tiono authority. The verifying" spoken
OF in the act is to he done 1T the "places Of
residence" OF the parties. And the verify
Ing is to be only of names "upon. any such
lists that is, lists KEEP, by the supervisors
Themselves.
To show that ours is the true construction
OF the act we quote in full the 4th section of
The &C. in question::
DUTIES OF SUPERVISORS.
"Section 4. And be It further enacted,
That il shall be the duty OF the supervisors
Of election, appointed under this acl, and
they and each Of them are hereby authorized
and required, 10 attend at all times and
places fixed for the registration of voters,
who. being registered, would be entitled TO
vote Tor representative or delegate in Conf
:.ress, and TO challenge any person Offering
to register to attend at all times and places
when the names of registered voters may be
MAJ kcd for challenge, and 10 cause such
,nnes registered as they shall deem proper
to tie so mai ked to make, when required,
the lists, or either OF them, provided Tor in
section thirteen Of this act, and verify
tine same and upon any occasion, and ut
s8lny time when in attendance under The pro-
Sions Of this act, to personally inspect and
SinZe Sucn registry, and for purposes OF
sc.u,,tNea,lon to ufiX their or his signature
ioes~Gt and every page of the original list, |
aud of each ana every copy of any such list
Of registered voters, at such times. upon
each day ~hen any name may or shall he re-
ccyed, entered, or registered, and in such
manner as will, in their or his Judgment, dc |
ttct and expose the improper or wrongful
removal therelr0m, or addition thereto, III
any way, Of any name or Names"
II this section is not repealed a supervisor
can cause the name OF a voter that is chal- |
,enged 10 be "murked." He can sign the
rtgistration-b books. He is also required 10
make the lists required by section is, and
no .othcr lists. Now, what are these lists =?
Read the act as quoted above. They are the
Isis kept AT the time of registration by the
supervisors themselves, and kept in books |
furnished by the chief supervisor There
Mr.. peasants or orc Of his Apprentices TO
copy registrars book, or 10 take possession |
of such book for any purpose. The only |
thing the supervisors are authorized TO do
with the booksof the State officers is to cause
the names Of challenged voters to be "mark-
cd" and to sign their names to them. No.
thing more. They must keep their own
lists. and it is these lists that Mr.. PLEAsANTs
can have copied.
The chief supervisor may require OF bis
subordinate supervisors-w what! Read again:
"Li,ts Of all persons who may register
and vote, or either, in their respective cleo
ton districts or voting precincts, and TO
cause the names Of those upon any such list,
whose right TO register or vote Shall be hon.
estly doubted, to be verified by proper in
ouiiy and examination ut the respective
places assigned as their residences"
Now, see. The chief supervisor may re-
uuirc bis subordinate supervisors to furnish
him with lists of either the persons who
may register or the persons ,cho may cote,
fSee above) 1t is plain that ii they furnish
him list of the persons who may vote they
must make it themselves on election.day
md it is equally certain that the other lists
alluded to they ought themselves to make on
registration days. In some States tie regis.
1rars keep no list of the persons voting.
The supervisors must do it themselves.
And the law is not changed to suit Virginia.
The law IS the same in all the States; and
That law requires Federal supervisors to be
present when registration is going on, and
make their own lists, or when the election is
going on, and make,their own lists.
But the fact is that both of the sections
we have quoted were repealed by subse-
quent act-that passed June 10, 1872. To
prove that this statement is true we furnish
The following conclusive evidence: