Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-01-14
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.

| q fOllOWcr Ol Iuc VI
| ty. but probably that he is "stalwart'
! bourbon"
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
Morning Session.
The House opened at 10 A. NJ. Prayer by
Rev. DR.. Cunningham, Of the First Presby-
! terian Church.
order OF the Day.
| The order OF the day was the consideration
| of House Bill 232 on its second reading,
concerning elections by the people.
Some discussion arose under this bill IN
relation to changing the time OF holding the
general election TO November; in other
words, taking West Virginia out OF the
| list of October States" Mr.. Seabright, OF
| Ohio county, thought it the means OF send
| ing corruption fund into the State, and
| while he was not averse to having our vol
ume of currency inflated, he did not like 1t
to be done by this peculiar process.
Mr.. Ferguson, however, pointed out the
| constitutional difficulty that would arise
| from electing members OF the Legislature
| in November by reason OF the TACT that
| they are required to take their seats at q
certain time after their election when in
| fact there would be no Legislature during
| that wear. The constitutional difficulties
| are, probably, the only obstacles in the way
| of a change, as the Legislature would other
wise be very ready to make this change IN
| our election machinery.
| The custom OF crowding around the pol!s
| during elections was discussed by Mr.. sea-
| bright. He wanted the election kept clear
OF the crowd, and nobody but voter allow,
| cd within hundred yards of the polls,and
while he very eloquently denounced the
| conduct of the rOughs at the polls, he had
no suggestion for rcmedying the evil, but
| appealed TO Mr.. Ferguson for assistance IN
| providing against it. At Mr.. F.s sugges-
| ton this section was passed over tempor-
| arily.
about u o'clock, al which time the House
took recess till 2:30 P. NJ.
| Bills Introduced.
By Mr.. Cox: A bill authorizing the coun:.
tv courts of any county to fix the rate OF
COMPENSATION for work on the public roads
BY Mr.. Monroe: Providing for the adop-
ton of children.
By Mr.. Edmiston: A bill changing times
of holding courts in the llth judicial cir
cult Ordered printed; ,,
By Mr.. Quarter: A bill authorizing the
A. 4 n. w. Railroad Company to bridge the
Elk river at Charleston.
BY Mr. Riley: A bill to secure children.
the benefits of education.
By Mr.. Sheppard: \ bill making 1t
| misdemeanor to injure public roads.
By Mr.. Brady: \ bill to prevent the
spread Of the Canadian thistle in this State.
Bills Passed.
Senate bill l7G was, on motion OF Mr..
Bell, read second and third time under
suspension of the rules and passed to take
eject from its passage, the bill changes
the time OF holding courts i'll the 18th Judi
cial circuit.
1t was published in full in the REGISTER
OF yesterday. go,
On motion of Mr.. Beckwth, House bill
800. changing time Of holding courts III JEFF
ferson county, was passed, under suSpen-
sion Of the rules.
Afternoon Session.
The members were slow in coming in,
and it was not until fifteen minutes OF
o'clock that the Speaker took the chair and
called the Honse TO order.
The consideration of the bill relating TO
elections by the people was resumed.
Mr.. Leonard, of Wood, moved TO strike
out of the ninth section of the bill the pro-
vision which reCites that the fact that
person is working for company or corpor,
alton within any county i'll the State shall
not thereby obtain citizenship therein,
! unless he file declaration of his Intention
TO become citizen of such county, with
the clerk of the county court thereof He
was opposed to the principle contained in
| the section. He did not believe in dis
! eliminating against any class Ot men simply
because they were employed by company
or corporation. A years residence in the
State and sixty days in a county, should BE-
enough. These were the
Constitutional Requirements
at the Legislature had no right TO add 10
them.
Mr. Ferguson didn't suppose it was un-
constitutional to prevent illegal voting;
nor 10 prevent a man from voting who had
no right to do so. Whether the provision
proposed was the best method to secure
these results was for the House to deter
mine, but it was well known to all mem.
bers, that there had been fraudulent voting
by means of the hands employed on the
railroads and other interpretations OF the
State. They would swear they were resi-
dents in one place and vote, and then be
loaded on the cars and 60 elsewhere and
repeat Ii the
Right OF Suffrage
was not of sufficient value to induce man
to take the trouble TO file his declaration Of
his intention to become citizen, 1t ought
TO be- by that means he would be pre-
vented from voting more than once, or If
he did, could be tracked down and pun
iShed.
Mr.. Leonard said if any one class of men
ought TO file their declarations in order TO
vote, why should not the rule be general?
Why discriminate against one class? He
did not believe the measure WAS Constitu-
tional. No person could be deprived of his
right to vote because he had not registered
as this act required him to do. He did not
think il would prevent frauds. Ii such a
desire existed the men would 60 by fifties
and register their intentions, while honest
voters would ignorantly neglect to do So
A man may go to another county and work
for five years, but unless he is registered
under this act, he is deprived of his vote
He believed all should
Stand on the Same Footing
and be governed by the same laws and if
applied to laboring men, il should also ap-
ply to lawyers doctors, and all others. II
was, in his judgment, unconstitutional in
that ii created additional qualifications for
a voter, and also, in that it applied only to
q class.
Mr.. Ferguson thought the gentleman
from Wood was trying TO save his lambs by
crying wolf Registration laws were not
popular in this State, and if the gentleman
could inspire the belief this was
Registration Act,
that would kill it. If he could persuade
members that the bill Disseminated against
the laboring class, that would kill it. He
insisted there was no discrimination. 1t
applied TO all alike, except that lawyers and
doctors usually did their work at home.
With railroad laborers it was different, and
they went from county to county, and this
provision was intended to prevent such
frauds as was we'll known, had been here
tofore perpetrated.
Mr.. Wilson (Mr. Moffett in the chair
argued with the gentleman from Wood that
the act was unconstitutional. While the
intention was good, and one that should be
enforced, it should be done in proper
way, and that was to fix penalty for ille-
gal voting, making it
Felony,
and also to make it felony for q railroad
company to issue free passes for carrying
voters from one place to another, and dele
gates to political conventions. There had
been too much of this in this State. The
provision was unconstitutional because il
provided other qualifications than those re,
quired by the organic law. One years res,
idence in the State and sixty days in the
county entities a man TO vote, and no other
conditions csR be ip2assi, lie. Is a1s.l