The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-20

SlSCllOHS III July, there not UeiIlS any
court there now until May or June.
One of the towns which is seriously
affected by the new amendment is
Eden Prairie, Hennepin county. The
situation there is this: Nearly one
third of the 215 voters are disfran-
chised by the constitutional amend
ment. They are willing to take out
second papers, but there is not time
enough between now and election day,
the law declaring that residence of
thirty days in the district is neces-
sary, and the voter must have become
full citizen at least three months
before election.
There are several men holding office
at Eden Prairie who cannot vote at
the coming election because of this.
The people want to elect them again,
and raised the point whether these
men could not take out their second
papers and be elected to office, even
though they could not vote.
Attorney General Childs says that
the point has been decided so many
times that there is no room for argu
ment In the case of Taylor VS.. Sulli-
van, As Mimi, it was decided that a
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elective office.
Another objection that has been
made to the present amendment is
that it is in substance and effect an
ex post facto law. The objection is
quite clearly stated in the following
letter from William O'Neill, of Currie,
Murray county, which is as follows:
AS our late amendment, requiring men and
women who not yet citizens to become
such three months before they can vote at
any election hereafter, is move in the right
direction, and which | advocated a
member Of the committee on resolutions in
our state Democratic convention of 1885, in
st. Paul, where nominated Doc Ames for
governor. l also voted for the amendment
last November. But I must positively deny
that any man or woman who was or is an
eiector under the constitution can be dis
franchised by this amendment deprived
OF any of the rights Of an elector until three
months after the next succeeding session of
|; court in their respective counties, because
that will be the first reasonable and regular
opportunity they will have to obtain naturali
cation papers. And for spring cleo
tons, the new amendment requires that they
should have been citizens by Dec. 9 last,
nearly month before the amendment itself
was supposed to be in force and take effect,
namely, when it was to be proclaimed by
the governor within ten days after the state
canvassing board declared 1t carried by the
voters of the state. Thus we see this pro-,
vision TO become operative at once on the
proclamation of the governor contains within
itself, in letter and spirit, the full meaning
and practical results of lex post facto' legis-
lation. Something that is forbidden by the
constitution Of the United States, well as
our own. 1t is actually ex post facto law. be-
cause 1t visits the penalty of dfsfranchise-
ment this spring all electors not full citi-
zens, who did not without notice of it's
necessity and without any requirement by
law at that time) run over the state to find
court sitting to naturaliZe them on or be-
fore the 9th of last December, whereas by
its own letter 1t could not be in force and
effect until nearly a month afterwards.
Now,in justice to all men, our attorney gen.
eral, or some competent authority, should at
once bring the whole matter up for adjudi-
cation by the supreme court. to be acted upon
at once, SO we would all know what to do
at the next election. AS this provision if it
is now in force would render a great many
officers in townships and school districts al
ready ineligible and their offices vacated, it is
of the utmost Importance to have it settled
fully and fairly at once.
Even for our annual school elections to be
held on the 18th Of next July 1t will be too
late to take out final papers at our spring
term of court that convenes in Murray county
April 20. Now, as it never the intention
of the law that intending citizens would have
to leave their own counties to be naturalized,
and as it is at least unwise and unjust to
disfranchise any one before giving a lawful
chance for being naturaliZed, 1 think the
legislature could pass Immediately an act to
specify a date on which this amendment
should become operative Tor let the supreme
t court set the day.. And most certainly we
ought to amend our laws so as to allow the
clerks of court to issue final as well as first
papers without waiting for the sitting Of
court. In Ohio clerks issue both first and
second papers at all times for a fee OF IS
cents. ..... Is. szs..
And. speaking Of Ohio, we would do well
to enact a good deal of their election law.
For instance they put an entire state ticket
of one party, together with a picture adopted
by that party, at the top and SC on. All
parties that exist have their full ticket sep
arate the official ballot and the picture
or emblem Of their choice at the top, under
which is circle to mark in, that
the most ignorant voter can vote a straight
ticket by making cross mark under the
picture of his choice, while a man who reads
/ can cut his ticket all he pleases by only
marking off such men he pleases indivi-
dually Ohio has also quit allowing any man
| to enter the voting booth with the 'elector
/ on any ~pretext whatever, except case of
| total blindness or inability from any cause
| to hold a pencil in their fingers. Ohio has
| found that selling and tampering with free
| vote has been carried on by admitting ever
| so few to help the Ignorant voter, and many
| plead ignorance in order to sell out 20 some
| man appointed by the bosses for that purpose.
l believe all charges for having name
| printed on the official ballot of county state
| are stitutional and essentially and en-
phatically un-American, because, first, in the
! case of county ballots in rural counties it
! amounts TO twice and three times what tick
| cts could be had for if the printing were let
to the lowest bidder And besides it often cuts
a nomination. and sets premium on wealth.
In order to prevent wrong and take an
unpleasant duty off the judges of election
| and challengers all naturalized citizens should
| be required by law to present their papers
| at the polls or if lost to have a certificate
| from the court that issued them, and in case
| the record was burned, lost, destroyed in
any manner. making a certificate or dupll-
i cate impossible then a certificate of that court
showing the loss of such records should
! suffice. 1t would be we'll also for the state
| authority TO have published by our attorney
general a clear and concise explanation of
! all naturalization laws of the United States
| especially those parts making minor children
| citizens in certain cases by the citizens hD
| OF the father, and stating specifically at what
| ages such minors would have to be in America
and what is the latest age that they might be
when father was made citizen in order that
they could be citizens by his naturalization
l see by your last o b that our sta e
didates. Just thing of it, this noble state
that is lending money at the lowest possible
interest, collecting $3.50 at $50 per piece
from the men whom choose to honor with
a nomination-very many standing only on
principle to lead a forlorn hope. l. for one
do not believe in wasting money on sample
ballots any more If people do not know now
how to mark their vote, they ought to lose
it, -4
In respect to the contention that the
amendment is in effect an ex post facto
law. Attorney General Childs has not
explicitly ruled. but he has held in
opinions rendered to a number Of in
quirers that the elective franchise is
not a vested right and that so far as
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