The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-03-31
THE DISTINGUISHING AMENDMENT.


The Sentinel has frequently called the at
tention OF it's readers, and the public gener-
ally, to the fact that the proposed amend
ment, No. l, to the constitution of Indiana
provides three distinct methods of disfran-
chising citizens of the State. We have re-
framed from discussing the provisions of the
amendment from any partisan point
of view, Notwithstanding the fact
that Republican organs have sought
to misIead the public mind in that
regard. II the people OF Indiana see proper
to so amend the constitution of this State
ss will deosr thousands OF worthy citizens
from exercising the right of suffrage, they
in April to commit the fragrant outrage. As
the case now stands man, native born, q
Years of age, who has resided in the State
six months. is a citizen of the State, clothed
with the right to vote and to be voted
for. But amendment No. 1 tacks on
three additional provisions, either one OF
which, il not complied with, will as effect
ually disfranchise him as if he had commit
ted the most heniOus crime known to GRIM
NAL law-had been found guilty and senten-
ced to be hung or to be sent to the peniten-
tiary. Ola OF thess provisions is that the
citizen must reside in a certain township go
days; another, that he must reside in Ger
tain ward or precinct so days. and still an
other provision of the amendment declares
that though IN the matter of residence the
citizen may be entitled to vote, he will be
disfranchised if he has not registered, and the
people of Indiana are invited on the first
Monday in april, 1880. to disrobe themselves
of their divine right to vote, and TO take
their places, under circumstances that in
volye 10 question of guilt or crime, with
felons and outcasts.
In the case of residence, II Is easy to
illustrate the DISTINGUISHING operation of
amendment No. L. 1t is 30 hagrantly unjust
that it merits denuncistion upon the slight
est investigation. For instance, an election
occurs Oh the 5th day of April. If q citizen
desires to remove from one township to
another and not be disfIanchised, he must
move not later than on the 5th day Of the
preceding January. III he should move on
the 9th OF January he would be disfran-
chised; one day has killed him as citizen;
he has no right to vote. He may have
lived IN tho county for 80 years. he
may have resided in the township
from which he removed the same
number OF years, but being In the township
to which lac has removed only so days, he is
-disfrzDcbised and is not permitted to vote,
no matter what the importance OF the ques-
tions u be settled may be. The case is still
more Objectionable with regard to wards and
precincts, for though q citizen may have
lived in the township all his life IL he has
not lived in certain voting preeinct 30 days.
all of his voting privileges are thrown away
As We have said, the residence provision
of amendment No. bears With special force
against tine rights and privileges of working
men, renters-thoss whose circumstances
make 1t necessary for them to change their
places of residence frequently-and such
men are asked to go to the polls on the first
Monday in April and degrade themselves
by their votes. A Republican paper tells
the citizens OF Indiana that their night to
vote is not an inherent right, but one created
and conferred by the State" Well, we would