The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-06
LAW RETROACTIVE.
Why Correspondent Thinks the
Constitutional Amendment In

To the Editor Of the Globe 1F .s-
have just read with pleasure -our
editorial on the franchise amendment in
Mondays paper, and the letter. OF, III. w s. -
on that subject He takes great, trouble to
prove what no lawyer or even layman de-
MES, to wit: That no citizen can be disfran-
chised without due process Of law. Certainly
once citizen, forever a Citizen we do not
pretend to dispute, although all citizens are
not always voters in all states. But for a
generation nearly, in this state men and
women not full citizens have voted and held
ONCE according to law and our own constitu-
ton. Such was the fundamental law Of our
state until the twenty day of last De-
cember, when, according to a letter now be-
lore me from Hon. ID. M Clough, governor
OF our state, he proclaimed, the passage of
the constitutional amendment in question
which he says in his autograph letter of
yesterday lis therefore now in force 1t
requires that all voters shall have taken out
their hnal naturalization papers three months
before they can exercise the rights OF an
elector." Can anything be more frank. plain
or unequvocal than this? Yet what a para
aox' AS a part of our constitution itself
by that very fact, now in force" it be-
comes an ex post facto law in absolute fact,
regardless Of protestations that we cannot
disfranchise a man once q voter.
we do disfranchise thehfi and rob them
OF the rights of an elector next Tuesday all
over the state. How, .aafd why? Because
they did not forsee before the 9Th of last De-
cemoer what was coming pa the 18th, and
until they found a court, sitting to get their
final papers, and because they did not This
ex post facto law imposes the punishment Of
depriVing this former electof of all his rights
as such, because he did nptTdo something be-
fore the 9Th of December sthat he was not
then required to do, and which he now has
no opportunity to do in timesto save himself
| positively assert that this ex post facto quail
1ty in law and fat nulifies the whole amend
ment as applying to electors and elections
occurring before ninety days after the first
opportunity people have to get their final
papers in their own county as contemplated
by our laws, both state and national
Another point. The federal constitution Uro-
vides that no person SHALL be deprived of
life, liberty or property without due pro-
cess OF law. Now many local officers Weld
many people modest wages which thew still
need and which in effect is their property
yet we deprive them OF II by making If
unlawful for citizens to re-elect them under
the thin guise of this enactment have
been citizen forty-one years myself but I
appeal once more for men who cannot helm
themselves and who are victims of these ne
cullar circumstances. am sure no one
would object If the legislature passed an act
to suspend the enforcing of this amendment.
say until next January Ii could be done
in day without objection or division as a
joint resolution. And if not regularly law
ful, it would compass justice to all concerned
and it could be done this week and wired
all over the state at once to save men their
rights next Tuesday.
Yours for the right
William, -O'Ne:ll.
Currie, Mimi, March 2, '97.