The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1891-01-08

State aud six months in said election
district land am now in good faith
resident i'm the same, and that | am
not disqualified from voting Ivy reason
of having been convicted of any crime
named in the Constitution of this
State as qualification tu he an cleo
tor, that Will truly answer all qucs-
tions rsopoundcd to nc concerning
my auirccdcuts So far as they relate
,u NV right to woe, and also as to my
residence before my citizenship in
this district: that will faithfully sup
pnlt the Constitution of the United
aud will bear true faith and allegiance
to the same, 81 help me God" In
registering voters in cities and towns,
not wholly in one election district,
the name of such city or town may be
substituted in the oath for the election
district. Any willfnl and cor
rupt false statement in said atlida-
Wit. or III answer to- any ma
terial questions prOpounded as herein
authorized shall be perjury.
/ Turning now to chapter four of the
/ Code of 1880, we find that the officers
authorized to register voters are the
Circuit CLERKS of the several counties,
who are thereby constituted eX otiiciO
registrars. Chapter % of the Acts of
/ 1856, pages 30 and 81 amend the pro-
/ visions of the Code, and section of
said chapter, after empowering the
/ board of supervisors to designate the
circuit clerk To make n new registra-
ton of voters, when necessary, goes
on to provide that said clerk "shall
publish for period of 20 days before
beginning such registration, notice of
the time and places where he will
register the qualified electors, and
shah, foI the period of ten days, re-
main at his Office and register all quail
flied electors who shall present them
selves for registration and the said
clerk shall thereafter visit each poll
ing precinct in said county, for one
day, and register such electors as
there may present themselves for reg
istration; and shall, after having Wis
tied each voting precinct, transcIibe
from the said registration books the
proper and necessary poll books for
each precinct"
As nothing in the section quoted is
''rcpngnant" to the new article on
franchise or ordinances, it remains in
full force and effect, and should fur
nish q guide for action to all Boards
of Supervisors and circuit clerks.
The sooner it is acted on after Feb. /,
the better. Section / of chapter % of
the Acts of 1856, which makes it the
duty of the circuit clerk to give 60
days notice before each general cleo
ton and subsequently thereto visit
each precinct for the purpose of reg
Steling AL unregistered persons en-
titled to registration, being ''repug
nant" to the new provision which pro-
hibits registration nearer than 4
months Of an election, of course be-
comes null and void.
Under the provisions of section LOG
of the code. however. the Circuit
Clerk may register voters at his Office
at any time not nearer than months
of an election but in case of local
option or special election occurring
which could not be anticipated, all
voters registered nearer than months
of such local option or special cleo
ton, would be Constitutionally dis
qualified from voting thereat. And
the new poll books, as we'll as the
registration roll. should be so pre-
pared as to show the date each name
/ was registered.
| 1t goes without the saying that it is
/ the duty Of the cirruit clerks in reg
! istering voters, to faithfully observe
and enforce all the provisions of the
new Constitution and ordinances.
/ All election districts remain unchang-
/ ed
/ County commissioners of election
are to be appointed by the Governor,
! Lieutenant- Governor and Secretary
of State as heretofore, not less than
{ two months before the general elec-
ton.
/ The following sections of the Code
of 1880, not being "repuGnant' to,
but on the contrary, in perfect accord
with section 251 of the new COnstitu-
tion on the subject of appeals, remain
in full force and effect:
"Scc. 1874. On the last Monday of
October, preceding general election,
and five days before any other, the
commissioners of election shall meet
at the office of the clerk of the circuit
court of the county and carefully re-
4 wise the registration books of the
county, and the poll books of the
several precincts, and erase therefrom
the names of all persons imprOperly