Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-04

Maryland by her new registration law OF last
April not only told all OF her citizens then alb
sent from the state 10 come home immediately
or cease 10 be Marylapders, bat insmated that,
having returned, they were 70 stay at home
thereafter under Like penalty. Whoever after
the passage Of the act should vacate and re-
move from his abode in the state and take mp
his abode out Of the state was conclusively pre-
pumed to have lost his legal residence, unless at
the time Of his departure he made affidavit be-
fore the clerk Of court that he intended 70 re-
turn, and unless he actually did return
''on or before six months preceding the
next succeeding election in November" Mary
land means that her sons shall stay Ut home at
night She says to them in effect: ''H you
spend night in Washington or New York with
out swearing to an affidavit, never more be son
OF miner 10 would seem that for six months
OF the year Marylanders are forbidden 70 poke
their noses outside the state, even though they
60 70 the bother and expense Of making the
affidavit They are required TO swear that
they viii return and to actually return ION or
before six months preceding the next succeed
ing election In November" How can they
make tins afidavit In the haIf-year
immedissely preceding the November
election, when the day upon which
they swear to return and upon which they
must actually return has already passed?
Thousands of Baltimoreans during the summer
leave their abodes in their city and temporarily
take up their abodes outside of the state--at
the sosshore, in the mountains, at the springs,
or across the ocean. The Baltimoresn con-
templating such . departure from the state
must, Of course. under q stric. construction Of
the Law, make his affidavit But can he, leav-
ing the state in June, July or August, swear to
return BY the Arst week of the May, which has
passed, which 10 "six months preceding the next
succeeding election in November? Does not
Maryland deny to her people the privilege of
taking up their abodes outside the state for the
purposes Of q summer vacation7 Can q Mary
lander spend q single night outside of the state
during half the year, whether. on pleasure or
business, without DISTINGUISHING himself? Have
not all Marylanders who took up their vacation
abodes last summer outside Of the state lost
their legal residence and ceased to be MARY
landers, whether they made the required affi-
dayits or not? The law, strictly construed,
forbids consideration of the usual tests Of q
mans intention in leaving the state, which
are found in the length and character
of his absence and in the reasons for his de-
parture, and substitutes the conclusive" test
of an affidavit, which is indispensable in all
cases, and which for half the year cannot be
made without perjury and cannot be carried
out Maryland is even more seriously inter-
ested than Washington in this sweeping nd
preposterous law. Maryland should see to IL
for the general welfare Of the state that her
election officers construe this law uniformly in
q manner which will rs far as possible avoid
the objections Of unconstitutionality and the
evil Of . general Acknowledgement, and at
the Hrst opportunity the law ought to be
amended.