Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-05
There are some points in the Maryland reg

There are some points In the Maryland reg
1stration law other than those commented upon
recently In THE STAR. that require attention.
The law says on page Is, that
"All persons who prior TO the pass
age Of this act shall have vacated or
removed or have gone with their par
ents from the place Of their actual abode. DOM
icile, dwelling place or habitation within this
state. and shall have taken domicile, dwelling
place, abode or habitstion out OF this state
shall be conclusively presumed TO have thereby
intended to abandon their legal residence In
this state and to have surrendered their right
to registration a. legal voters in the state un-
less within thirty days after the passage OF this
act they shall 60 in person before the clerk OF
the circuit court for tho county from which
they shall have so removed, or before the clerk
OF the superior court OF Baltimore city, II their
removal shall have been from said city, and
make and acknowledge before such clerk an
affidavit that when they so removed they did
not intond to change their legal residence within
the state. but that thsy had fixed purpose to
return at a definite time, and that they intend
TO return to this state and 20 take up their &C
tual domicile and hsbitation therein on or be-
fore six months next preceding the Tuesday
after the first Monday Of November. 1890"
The form OF such affidavit follows the text
quoted above. IL includes, besides a mention
of the county or city, "a minute and definite
description Of the place Of abode" to cite the
very words Of the act The law then proceeds
to declare that "unless the persons respectively
making such afidavits shall actually return to
this state (Maryland) and shall actually take
mp their abode, domicile or habitation therein
six months before the Tuesday after the first
Monday in November, $780, they shall be con-
clusively presumed to have lost their legal
residence therein and shall not be entitled to
registration therein legal voters, and the Off
GERS of registration shall strike of their names
from the registry, il they be entered thereon.
And after the passage of this act all persons
who shall vacate and remove from the place of
their actual domicile, abode, dwelling place or
habitation within this state and shall take up
domicile, abode, dwelling place or habitation
out Of this state, shall be conclusively pre-
sumed to have lost their residence in this state,
and shall in consequence thereof become dis
qualified to vote. unless at or about the time of
such removal or within ten days thereafter
they shall go in person before the clerk Of the
circuit court for the county from which they
shall SO remove, or before the clerk of the su-
perior court Of Baltimore city, if such removal
be from said city, and shall make and acknowl-
edge before him an affidavit declaring that not
outstanding such removal from their domicile,
abode, dwelling place or habitation, they do
not intend thereby to change their legal resi-
dence, but that they have q fixed and de-
terminate purpose to return to this state or
before six months preceding the next succeed
ing election in November" A particular de-
scription of such residence is required in the
affidavit
Here are exactions upon voters that work
verv serious hardship. Whatever the inten-
fion of the voter who removes-whether for
business absence Of a few days, or, as in other
cases few months, the intention shall be i'm
puted to him Of permanent decitizenation, so
far a. Maryland is concerned. unless he shall
put himself to much trouble and expense to
show that he means to remain o suffragan
within the requirements of the laws of the
state. To the citizen who has to leave the
state on business, sometimes necessarily
at short notice, this is q matter of
serious import 1t bears with special
oppressiveness on the wage Garner who
resides in Maryland but whose occupation
for part Of the year is in Washington, Alex
andria or some ether town Of a neighboring
community. This man surely can't, every time
he goes to see his wife and children, run off to
the county circuit court clerk to file his certf-
cate Of citizenship. II he can there will be
little time TO devote either to home or work
Within certain well defined lines of safety to
the commonwealth the state laws O; suffrage
should make il easy to be 4 full fedged citizen.
A citizen without suffrage is not such a citizen,
and, il man OF character and intelligence,
his interest in its welfare ceases when it cuts
OF his rights a voter without reason or suf-
fcient excuse. As The SrAa said the other
day, the courts will surely do justice to the
deprived voter-if not the local then the fed
eral courts; and il justice be denied in the
courts Of law, then the citizen has his recourse
to tho great source Of law, the people of the
states Of this Union in their sovereign capacity
as trainers Of constitutions and cons titutional
amendments