Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-02-25
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
Report OF Committed on Education Ready
for Presentation.


for Presentation.
stan Correspondence Of Gazette and Journal.
Dover, Feb. Is. The Constitutional
Convention, yesterday. discussed the
report of the committee on elections ut
both the morning and afternoon
sessions. There was considerable det,aie
over the amendment offered by Mr..
Spruance TO section . OF the report,
after the word "register," where ho
desired to introduce for the pur4
pose OF influencing the giving or the
Withholding the vote of such person at
any general, special or municipal
election in the State. "
The proposed amendment was 6s.
featad, however, and tina convention,
after considering the report for two
days, was unable except in q single
instance to alter or umand The docu-
ment submitted by tho committee.
The report in full, as far as it has
been amended and adopted, is as fol
lows:
The committee on elections recommend
the following amendments to the Consttu.
tom:
Strike ont the part of the third paragraph
of section of article beginning with the
words and in" and ending with the words
ANY tax and insert in lieu thereof the fol-
lowing.
Every male citizen of this State Of the
age of twenty-one years who shall have been
= resident OF this state one year next proceed
ing an election, and for the last three months
y resldent of the county and for the last thir-
~ days resident of the hundred or election
district in which he may offer TO vote. and
In which he shall have been duly registered
as hereinafter provided for, shall be entitled
TO vote at such election in the hundred or
election district OF which he shall at the
time be a resident, and IN which he shall be
registered, for all officers that now are or
hereafter may be elected by the people and
upon all questions which may be submitted
to the vote of the people.
Provided, however. tnat no person who
shall attain lineage of twenty-one years after.
the first day of January, a. d. 1860, or after
That date shall become a citizen of the
United States, shall have the right to vote
unless he shall be able to read this Constitll-
ton in the English language and write bis
name; but these requirements shall not APP
ply toany person who BY reason Of physical
disability shall be unable to comply there
With.
Insert next after section of article the
following;
Sec. .. No person who shall receive or ac-
cept, or offer 10 receive or accept, or shall
pay. transfer, or deliver, or offer, or promise
to pay, transfer, or deliver, or shall contrib.
ute or offer. or promise to contribute to an
other, TO be paid or used, amy money or
other valuable thing as compensation, i'll
uucement or reward for the registering or
The abstaining from registering of any one
qualified TO register, or for the giving or
withholding, or in any many influencing
the giving or withholding II vote ut any
general, special or municipal election in this
state, shall vote ut such election; and upon
challenge for any Of 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 not received or accepted or offered to
receive or accept, or paid, transferred, de-
livered, or offered or promised to pay. trans
fer or deliver. or contributed or offered, or
promise to contribute to another, to be paid
or used, any money, or other valuable thing
ms compensation, inducement or reward
for the registerltIg, or the nbstaininB from
registering of any one qualified TO register,
or for the giving or withholding, or in any
manner influencing the giving or withhold
ing vote NJ such election,
such oath or affirmation shall be con-
elusive evidence 10 the election officers of
the truth of such oath or affirmation, but if
any 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 2, OF
article - OF this Constitution.
Sec 3. The General Assembly shall pro-
vide by law for n uniform registration of
the names.o of all the Voters in this State who
possess the qualifications prescribed in this
article, which registration shall be con-
elusive evidence To the election officers Of
the right of every pelRon thus registered to
vote al any election thereattef held in tins
State, who Is not disqualified under the pro-
visions Of the secOnu section Of this article;
bur no person shall vote at any election
unless his name appears i'll the list OF regis
tered VOTERS.
such registration shall be commenced mt
more than ninety days, nor less than sixty,
days before, ana be completed not more
than twenty days, nor less than ten days
before such election, and application for
registration may be made on at least five
days during the said period
Provided, however, that such registration
mag be corrected ms hereinafter provided. ut
any time prior To the day Of holding the
election.
Voters shall be registered upon personal
application only, and each voter shall, ut
the time Of his registration, pay II registra-
ton fee Of fifty cents.
The registry oil voters made in pursuance
hereof may be corrected; and from the de.
Cision Of the registration officers granting or
refusing registration, or striking or refusing
to strike u name or names from the registrar
ton list, any person interested, or any regis
tration officer, may appeal 10 the resident
Judge of the county, whose determination
shall be final. and lie shall have power to
order any name improperly omitted from
the said registry to he placed thereon, and
any name improperly appearing on the said
registry to be stricken thereIrom, aud to
make and enforce MI necessary orders in
the premises.
Registration shall not be re1uifedfor vii
lage. town or city elections, except by ex-
press provision of law.
No.. ....as. l..a t.. r.. "a