Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1882-10-06
What Constitutes Citizenship Z!

Two cases arose before Judge Stone,
sitting as a court of appeal in registration
cases on Thursday and Friday of last week
in which the question of the right of per-
sons who are not actual residents of Mary
land to exercise the right of suffrage here
was directly Involved. The cases came
upElpon appeal from Richard I, Knott,
registration officer in the eth district
George Tubman and Samuel c. Norris be-
ing respectively the parties appellant in
the two cases. The facts of Mr.. Tubman's
case, as we are informed, are that, about
nine or ten years ago, he sold his farm
and all his property in this county and
removed with his family to Washington.
where he engaged in private business as a
commission merchant and feed dealer
After number of years spent in these
pursuits, he succeeded in obtaining an APP
pointment under the Government which
he still holds. He has not, we believe,
been voter in the county since he left,
and has never resided here except for
few days at tine as the guest of some OF
his relatives in the county This fall, how
ever, probably in obedience to the COM
mands of the manipulators of the domi
nant party at Washington, be made appli-
cation to registrar Knott to be registered
in the seventh district of this county, and
was, as with all Difference to the court we
still think, very properly refused. He ap-
pealed to the circuit court and his case
came up before Judge Stone on Thursday
last. We did not hear his testimony, but
are informed that it recited the facts above
as we have given them, except that he
failed to be specific upon the point that
he went to Washington to engage in pri-
vate pursuits which he continued for a
number of years. The court sustained his
appeal and ordered him to be registered
The case of Mr.. Norris came up on Fri
day. In this case the appellant was rep
resented by L. Allison Wilmer, and the
registrar by the States Attorney and F. NJ.
Cox. The facts of the case as they appear
ed by the testimony of the appellant are
that he is carpenter by trade, and 40
years of age. Has lived most of his life
in Baltimore and Washington cities, but
has spent a number of years in several
Western States. His memory was not &C
curate as to whether or not he had ever
voted in any of the Western States, tho
he thought he had voted in one of them
He came to Charles county for the first
time in 1856 and remained for two years,
after which he went away and did net
again return until 1876 or when he came
back to perform contract for the build
ing of house. for Captain Wade in this
county After completing this contract,
he obtained other building contracts and
remained here in the pursuit of his trade
for about two years. Previous to coming to
the county in 1877, he had lived several
successive years in Washington in the pur-
suit of his trade, and upon the completion
of his building contracts he again return
cd to Washington, but he claims that up
on his return he went to work at his trade
for the Government, and that in May 1881
he was appointed to position in the
Postoffice Department During his last
visit to the county in 1877 he married a
lady whose parents still live in this county
and during his stay he was also placed
upon the registration list by the then Off
Ger Of registration, who was decrepit