Waco evening news. (Waco, Tex.) 1888-1889, 1889-03-28
WHO AREQUALIFIED VOTERS

nC oOONO 10 GStoh"S"$ I~~eJ
on the eve Of the municipal election,
and in answer to the question we pub
lish below extracts from the city char
ter and the revised statutes Of the state
bearing upon it. The law as therein
expressed is simple, and no man not
afflicted with the FIRST disqualification
mentioned in the statute, should have
any difficulty in constituting it.
Section s Of the new city charter
says:
"Every person not disqualified by
law, who shall have attained the age of
twenty-one years, and is entitled to
vote for members Of the legislature of
the state, and shall have resided within
the corporate limits Of said city for six
months next preceding the election,
shall be entitled to vote for officers OF
said city,"
"The law" referred to in the proceed
ing is contained in the following three
articles of the revised statutes:
ARTICLE 1857. The following
classes Of persons shall not be allowed
to vote, to-wit:
l. Idiots and lunatics.
2. All paupers supported BY any
county.
3. All persons convicted of any fell
ony.
4. All soldiers, marines and seamen
employed in the service Of the army
or navy of the United States.
ART. 1888. Every male person who
is subject to neither Of the disqualifi-
cations named in the preceding article,
who shall have attained the age to
twenty-one years, and who shall be q
citizen Of the United States, and who
shall have resided in the state for one
year next preceding an election, and
the last six months within the district
or county in which he offers to vote,
shall be deemed qualified voter; and
every male person of foreign birth,
subject to none Of the disquali6cations
aforesaid, who, at any time before an
election, shall have declared his inten.
ton to become citizen Of the United
States in accordance with the federal
naturalization laws, and shall have re-
sided in this state one year next pre-
ceding such election, and the last six
months in the county in which he Of
fers to vote, shall also be deemed q
qualified voter.
ART. 1890. The residence Of mar
ried man, if not separated from his
wife, shall be whore his wife resides.
If a married man be separated from
his wife he shall be considered, as to
residence, a single man. The residence
of single man shall be where he
usually sleeps.
An article in our morning contem.
porary seems to us to put strained
construction upon the law as express
ed above, which, if adopted by the
judges at the polls, would deprive a
great many of their ballots, who by the
statute are "quali6ed electors" 1t
says:
"In order to constitute man q
resident Of Waco he must have Waco
for his home. 1t must be his domicile.
If he is here temporarily not with the
animus manendi, the intention of re-
naming, as permanent, fixed inha-
bitant, he is not qualified to vote, and
by so doing he subjects himself to pro.
secution under the state law. If the
animus repertendi exists with the man
to some other place, he is held BY the
law disqualified to vote here
Let us illustrate. Suppose Mr.. Smith
or Mr.. Jones. who lives in Dallas OF
Galveston, should send his son to Wac
to complete his education at the uni
versity, and suppose the son should b.
81 years Of age, and suppose he ha
been here as a student for several year
continuously, with the intention, upo1
the completion Of his course Of study
Of returning home. Mr.. Smith or MI
Jones has done good thing, he ha
selected the best institution Of learning
in Texas for the education Of the younI
man, but Mr.. Smith and Mr.. Jone
have not by this praiseworthy act dc
priyed Dallas or Galveston of a vote
and contributed the voter to Waco
The young gentleman is voter at hi
home, but he has neither the power
the right, nor the qualification necel
sary to enable him to hold Office i
Waco or to vote for q man who aspire
to Office in Waco, and immediatel
upon the casting Of a ballot by such
person he would become liable undo
the laws Of Texas for a felony.
In the statute defining the qualities
tions of voters we fail to find the wor'
'home" or the phrases animus manen