Smyrna times., 1897-02-24
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
Reform Ballot Measures.

AOAO "oS q AOhS uODdJe Ou Ill eloC-
ton clause intended to prevent vote.
buying. 1t is an additional pro-
vision to the one reported by the Com
mittee on Securing the Purity of the
Ballot. 1t is to some extent a dupli-
cate, but it will be adopted, with minor
amendments, practically as follows.
No person who shall receive or ac-
cept or offer to receive or accept, or
shall pay, transfer or deliver or offer or
promise to pay, transfer, or deliver, or
shall contribute or offer, or promise to
contribute to another, to be paid or
used, any money or valuable thing as
a compensation, inducement or reward
for the registering or the abstaining
from registering of any qualified to
register, or for the giving or withhold
ing, or IN any manner influencing the
giving or withholding a vote at anv
general special or municipal election in
this State, shall vote at such election.
and upon challenge for any said causes.
the person so challenged, before the
officers authorized for that purpose
shall receive his vote, shall swear or
affirm before such officers that he has
received or accepted or offered to re-
celve or accept, or paid, transferred,
delivered, or offered, or promised to
pay, transfer or deliver, or contributed
or offered, or promised to contribute
to another, to be paid or used. anv
money, or other valuable thing as a
compensation inducement or reward
for the registering, or the abstaining
from registering, of any one qualified
to register, or for the giving or with
holding, or in any manner influencing
the giving or Withholding a vote at
such election.
The Convention after furth er debate
by Messrs. Bradford, Spruance, and
Cavender adopted the section with this
additional part securing the voters
right at the polls: "Such oath or afir-
nation shall be conclusive evidence to
the election officers Of the truth of such
oath or affirmation, but if anv such
oath or affirmation shall be false. the
person making the same shall be guilty.
OF perjury; but no conviction thereof
shall bar any prosecution under Section
? OF Article 1 Of this Constitution.
UNIFORM REGISTRATION.
The next section of the renort wos
adopted unanimously without debate.
Section 3. The General Assembly
shall provide by law for a uniform
registration of the names of all the
voters in this State who possess the
qualifications prescribed in this article.
which registration shall be conclusive
evidence to the election officers of tho
right OF every person thus registered
to vote at any election thereafter held
IN this State, who is not DISQUALIFIED
under the provisions of the second
section OF this article; but no person
snail vote at any election unless his
name appears in the list of registered
voters. Such registration shall be
commenced not more than ninety days,
nor less than sixty days before, and be
completed not more than twenty davs.
nor less than ten days before such cleo
ton, and application for registration
may be made on at least five days dur
ing the said period" "
Only portion of thereport was con-
sldered. 1t was amended after con-
siderable discussion and finally adj
opted as follows: From the decision
OF the registration officers, granting or
refusing registration, or striking or re-
tuslng to strike names from the regis
tration list, any person interested or
any registration officer may appeal to
the resident Judge, or in case of his
disability or absence from the county.
to any Judge entitled to sit in the
supreme Court of the county. whose
determination shall be final, and he
shall have power to order anv name
improperly omitted from the said regis
try to be placed thereon, and anv name
improperly appearing ON the said regis
try to be stricken therefrom, and to
make and enforce all necessary orders
IN the premises for the correction of
the said registry. Registration shall
be required only for general biennial
elections, at which members of the
General Assembly shall be chosen, un-
less the General Assembly shall other
wise provide by law. The existing
laws In reference to the registration of
votes, 80 far consistent with the
provisions of this article, shall con-
tinue in force until the General As
sembly shall otherwise provide.
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION.
The most important change vet ef-
fected by the convention is in impos-
ing one educational qualification upon
the voter who is to assume that duty
IN 1900 and thereafter. It says that |
mo person shall have the right |
to vote unless he shall be able to read
this constitution in the English langu-
age and to write his name"
A letter was presented from Hon.
John W. Carey, of Cheyenne, Wyo.. a
farmer, Delawarean, advocating wo- |
mans suffrage. The letter was re-
terred to the Committee on Elections
In committee of the whole the con-
vention discussed second report of the
Committee on Elections, which brought
out the fact that two members of the
convention were in favor of woman
suffrage. Messrs. Spruance, Carlisle.
Cavender and Cooper opposed suf-
frage and Messrs. Smithers and Clark
favored the question.
The Constitutional Convention II TO
z, last week, by very decisive vote.
rejected the proposition to cloth the
women of this State with the right of
suffrage.
THEIR FIFTEENTH ANNIvERsARy
The picturesque old Osborne bome-
stead near ST Gaoroaa 49, Al =