The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1902-07-04

Sun, makes registration a condition
of voting. Until January 1st, 1904,
the registration boards appointed by
the convention will register those
who have paid for the year preceding
that in which they apply, a State tax
of at least one dollar, which means
the ownership of $3.50 worth of prop
erty, and also those who, or whose
fathers, have rendered service in the
army or navy of the United States,
or of the Confederate States, and also
those who can read and explain or
understand and explain when read to
them any section of the constitution.
Those thus registered are listed on
the permanent roll. After January
list, 1904, only those will be register
ed who are able to write their appli-
cations without assistance. After
that date all voters except veterans
of the Civil War are required to pay
the annual capitation tax of $3.50
six months in advance of the election.
Voters on the permanent roll are
entitled to receive aid in preparing
their ballots, but all Others must pre-
pare their ballots unaided. Several
provisions relate to election machin-
cry and the conduct of elections, and
the entire article expresses the para
mount and controlling desire of the
convention to maintain white supre-
macy by legal methods and insure
regularity and purity in elections.
The House will be elected biennially
as heretofore, but beginning with
1907 the entire Senate will be elected
quadrennially, the holdover Senator
feature being abolished. The Senate
will not be elected the same year with
the Governor and other executive
officers. To keep official functions
separate, those holding Federal or
State offices are to be ineligible to
membership. The General Assembly
is prohibited from electing its own
members to office nor can they be ap
pointed to Office; the people, however,
may elect them to office. The ses-
sions of the Legislature will begin on
the second Wednesday in January
and will continue GO instead Of 90
days, as atpresent. The vice ofhasty
ill-matured and surreptitious legisla-
ton is sought to be corrected by pro-
visions requiring among other things
that bills shall be printed and
actually considered in committee,
read at length on different days and
passed by a recorded vote of at least
two.f fths of the members of each
House Several officers who have
heretofore been elected by the General
Assembly, including the secretary of
thecommonwealth and treasurer, are
now chosen by the people. The
powers of the Governor are increased
and strengthened. He can suspend
for misconduct any of the general
executive officers, except Lieutenant
Governor. He can veto any item of
an appropriation bill without reject
ing the entire measure, and he can re-
turn the bill to the General Assembly
with suggestion of amendment and
then when it reaches him again
amended or unamended, pass upon it
finally. This tentative disapproval
of a bill is believed to be now intro
duced into American Constitutional
law for the first time. The number
ofjudges of the Supreme Court is I'M
changed and the minimum salary is
placed at 1000. The county courts
are abolished and the State is divided
into twenty-four circuits, and for
each circuit a judge is to be elected
with a minimum salary of $4,000.
These circuit courts have the mostex
tensive civil and criminal Jurisdiction.
County officials are to be elected for
a term of four years, except clerks,
who are chosen for eight years.
demonstration contains number
of other interesting provisions, which
we may hereafter speak of more at
length.