Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1882-07-14
About Registration.

The officers of registration will be on hand
to register duly qualified voters on the ap-
pointed days, but who is to register the regis
trar?
Can 1 man swear and question himself, de-
eide his own case and certify to his decision
or, adverse to his wishes enter an appeal p
There is no provision in the law to meet the
case, and we would like somebody wiser than
oarself to crack this legal -Independtn'.
Although it Is with becoming dfidence y :,
We undertake to ''cratk a legal nut" ths> ...
of which our esteemed neighber has r n mna.
BILE to extract, yet it seems to US = ., ,h.. ~.
one in question will yield to ,oa...,a
sure if properly applied. T. :. f;rs, ..o,;an -
the registration law prov; DIES ,ba, tho covsrno,
'shall nominate and !, ~ &C., appoi,, &C., one
| capable person in Zach election a;,,,;o, ~ th;s
State. who shall Be a vot.r and ,,,;d.., ~ u,
eleetio" district for DhieA he ,Aau be appoint.d
to be an officer Of registration for said district
In section loitis provided that the officers shall
Ut on certain designated days ''for the purpose
OF ascertaining and registering in the proper
registry Of voters and pole-book,, tn. persons
qualified to vote in the election district"
| obviously it is made the duty of the Gov.
ernor, BY the law, to ascertain the qualifica-
tons OF the persons he appoints to be registrs-
uon omcefs as voters in the district in which
they are respectively appointed. This fact
having been thus ascertained by the Governor
in accordance with the law, and certified to BY
the commission Of the registrar, it becomes his
duty under section 10 to register himself As
there provided without any further peelimena-
ries. The cath which is required 10 Be- admin IS
tered and the questions to be p.opounded ha We
special reference to the persons who shall apply
to the registrar, and have 10 application, Of
course, to the registrar himself The question of
appeals obviously does rot arise in this conuec
| ton.
| Concerning the 4sestfon Of advertising both
the July and Aug rs. sittings in the same notice,
as done in some Of rhe other counties of the
State to which we called attention two weeks
ago, the States Attorney who is counsel for
the registrars has decided that such course
is not required by the law. Section l3 of the
act provides that "such notice shall be given
by said officers of registration at least ten DAYS
before the first day of their first summer sit
ting, and one week before the FIRST day of their
respective September and October sittings -
Nothing being said about the August sitting in
this section it seems to have been construed in
the other counties referred to that the notice of
the August sitting must be given ten days be-
fore the hrst summer sitting in July.
Section IL however cou,ains the following
definition of terms: The first sitting OF said
respective officers of registration &c, is de.ig-
mated and referred to in this act as the ''6r.,
summer sitting; the frs. of the next two sub
sequent sittings Of said respective officers of
registration, provided to be held in each year,
is in this act designated and referred to as the
"September sitting" and the last of said two
subsequent sttings Of said respective officers
of registration provided TO be held in each year
is in this act designated and referred TO as the
October sitting" The States Attorney,
therefore, construesn this section TO mean tba,
the sitting held in August is the September
sitting referred to the act 1t mus,
be admitted that there is an awkward
ambiguity in section, II and Of course il the
people get ample notice Of the sittiugs il will
be immaterisl whether the requirements Of the
carried out or not, as that csnno, affect the
validity of the registration Of those who are
registered.