The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-05-12

OF the fact that he IS lneal descend
ant Of the person who was thus entitled
to vote on the 1st day of January. 1863,
and twenty-one years Of age or over III
the year 1906: that is to say. that ne
was born not later than the year 1885.
These three descriptions of persons
are in the alternative.
The applicant for registration is re-
Quired to bring himself under one only
of them, and any one of them is suffi-
cient.
All White Men.
He may become a registered voter
because he was entitled TO vote so far
back as January 1. 1869. or earlier. un-
der the laws Of the State in which he
then resided; or because having been
born not later than 1885, he is a lineal
descendant Of such last-named person;
or because, not claiming to belong to
either Of these two classes. he possesses
the prescribed Observation-Disclosures.
Obviously, Clause Second embraces
only men who on January /. 1869. vera
not less than twenty-one years of age:
that is to say, men born not later than
1913, The youngest voter who under
this clause could be lawfully registered
in 1906 under the proposed amendment.
would accordingly be then ffty-eight
years old and this clause would clear
allow of the registration az all male
citizens Of the United States. white or
black. native born or naturalized. lit
crate or illiterate. who on January /.
1869, or earlier, were entitled to vote
IN the State in which they then resided.
All white men who We're citizens of
any Of the United States on January ].
1859. whether native born or natural
lied who shall be living in Maryland
at the period OF registration and who
shall have resided in Maryland for one
year prior TO that period will be enti-
tied to registration as qualified voters
under this second clause.
The practical operation of this second
clause viii therefore. be to admit to
registration al white Marylanders mot
disqualified by reason Of conviction for
some "infalro0s er.me'') who were vot-
ers in Maryland IN the FIRST day Of Jan
nary, 1869. or ez7lier. and also all white
men who ol that date or earri-r were
qualified voters IN any Of the States Of
the Union.
No ed 'o0tional or otha' test can be
exacted from app-csn .or registration
belonging to this class Of men.
The fact that they were qualified vot-
ers anywhere in the United States on
January 1, 1863 OF earlier. entities
chem, without more, to registration.
By this Second Clause the suffrage is
preserved 10 all White men throughout
Inc Union who possessed it on January
!, 1859. or earlier.
But no negro can come in under this
clause unless he was a qualified voter
on January /. 1869. or prior thereto, in
the State where he then resided.
The purpose and effect of this Second
Clause land We shall presently see Of
the Third Clause also) are to relieve
the proposed amendment from conflict
with the Fifteenth Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States.
Limitation Of Grandfather Clause.
Coming now to the Third Clause Of
the Amendment, we find that it pre-
serves suffrage to the lineal descend
ants born not later than 1885 of all
male citizens of the United States who
were qualified voters on January /. 1863
without distinction of race, color or ma
tionality, and without any test except
the uniform and impartial test of lineal
descent and birth prior to the year 1886.
Any adult male descendant of any
man who on January 1, 1869, was a
qualified voter in any State of the Union
may be registered on that ground alone
whether white or black. literate or illit-
crate, native born or naturalized, pro-
vided, first that he have the necessary
qualification of residence in Maryland,