The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-08-14
CHAPTER 20.

CHAPTER %.
title. Effective Franchise" OF the Constitu-
ton of this State, and to provide for the submis
sion of said Amendment to the qualified voters
of this State for adoption or rejection.
SECTION /. Be 1t enacted by the General AS
sembly of Maryland, three fifths of all the MEM
bers Of each of the two Houses concurring. that
the following section be and the same is hereby
proposed as an amendment to Section one of
Article one, title. Elective Franchise" of the
legal and qualified voters thereof as herein pro-
vided, it shall supersede and stand In the place
and stead of Section one of said Article one.
SEC l. All elections shall be by ballot. and
every male citizen OF the United States of the age
of twenty-one years or up wards, who has been
Legislative District of Baltimore City or of the
county in which he may offer to vote, for one
year next preceding the election. and who, more
over. is duly registered as qualified voter as
provided in this Article shall be entitled to vote,
In the ward or election district in which he re-
State, and ia case any county or city shall be so
divided as to form portions of different electoral
districts for the election of Representatives in
Congress, Senators. Delegates or other officers,
then to entitle person to vote for such officer,
he must have been a resident of that part of the
county or city which shall form part of the
electoral district in which he offers TO vote for
one year next preceding the election; but per-
son who shall have acquired residence in such
county or city. emitting him to vote at any such
election, shall be entitled to vote in the election
district from which he removed. until he shall
county or city to which he has removed
Every male citizen of the United States having
the above prescribed qualifications of age and
to become a qualified voter if he be, first; per-
son who, on the first day of January in the year
eighteen hundred and sixty nine, or prior there
to- was entitled to vote under the laws of this
State, of any other State of the United States,
wherein he then resided; or second: male de-
scendant OF such last mentioned person; or third:
foreign born citizen Of the United States natur-
alized between the first day of January in the
year eighteeh nnnotee ana slxtynl9e t ana Inc
Gle; or fourth: male descendant of such last
mentioned person; or fifth: person who, in the
presence of the officers of registration, shall, in
his own handwriting, with pen and ink, without
any aid suggestion or memorandum whatsoever,
and without any question or direction addressed
make application to register correctly, stating
in such application his name, age, date and place
and for the two years next preceding, the name
or names of his employer or employers, II any,
at the time and for the two years next preced-
If so, the State. county or city and district or
precinct In which he voted last, and also the
name in full Of the President of the United
Court of the United States, of the Governor
OF Maryland, of one of the Judges of the
Mayor of Baltimore City, if the applicant resides
in Baltimore City, or of one of the County Com
missioners of the county in which the applicant
resides and any person who is unable to COM
ply with the af0regoing requirements as to max
ing application Decentralization in his own hand
writing, solely because he is physically disabled
band of person, who at the time of his applica-
ton for registration, is BONA tide owner OF real
or personal property in an amount OF not less
than five hundred dollars, is assessed therefor
on the taxboOks of the City of Baltimore or of
one OF tne OF tn,s S.a.e mas peen s nr
ceding his application for registration: shall
have paid and shall produce receipts for the
taxes on said property for said two years and
the of his annlioafi0n make affidavit
before the officers of registration that he Is. or
that he is the husband of the person who is the
bona tide owner of the property so assessed to
him or to her, as the case may be, and that he or
she has been such owner for two years next pre-
ceding his application.
above clauses shall be entitled to be registered
as qualified voter or be entitled to- vote. Every
written application to be registered. presented
to the Officers of registration by any person APP
plying to be registered under the above fifth
clause, shall be carefully preserved by said Off
GERS of registration and shall be produced in any
| Court, If required, as hereinafter provided.
The affidavit OF any applicant Tor registration,
duly made to the officers of registration or in
| Court, that he, the applicant, is person who
was entitled to vote on or before the first day OF
| January, in the year eighteen hundred and
sixty nine, as aforesaid, or that he has become
a naturalized citizen of the United States be-
tween the first day of January in the year eigh-
teen hundred and sxty-nne and the date e., OF the
| davit upon information and belief that he is
| descendant of person who was entitled to vote
| on OF D6IOE6 Tue udy VI III buO year
eighteen hundred and sixty nine. or that he is
| descendant of person who has become natur-
allied citizen of the United States between the
| first day of January, in the year eighteen hum
! dred and eixty-nine, and the date of the adop-
ton of this section of this article shall be prsnG
Jdcss evidence Of any OF said facts SO sworn to.
any applicant for registration in relation to any
| of the matters aforesaid shall be perjury and
punishable as perjury is punished by the laws OF
Any person who feels aggrieved by the action
of any board of officers of registration in refus-
| log to register him as qualified voter, or IN
registering any disqualified person, may at any
time, either before or after the last session of
the board of officers of registration, but not later
file petition. verified by affidavit, in the Circuit
Court for the county in which the cause of COM
| in Baltimore City, in any court of common laws
| jurisdiction in said city, setting forth the
! grounds of his application and asking to have
the action of the board of officers of registration
! corrected. The court shall forthwith set the
| petition for hearing and direct summons to be
Issued requiring the board of officers of registra-
| ton complained against in said petition to at
| tend at the hearing in person or by counsel, and
| where the object of the petition is to strike or
| the name of any person, summons shall also be
| issued for such person, which shall be served by
! the Sheriff within the time therein designated |;
and said several courts Sna nave oI 1n boa
| of officers of registration and to grant or with
hold, as it may deem lawful and proper, the re-
| lief prayed for in the premises.
In determining whether any person who ap-
piled to be registered under the above fifth
clause of this section was or was not entitled to
shall require the board of officers of registration
| complained against to produce the written ap-
he S@s for regis
| tration to said board of officers of registration,
and upon said written application the court shall
| determine whether or not said person, when he
| presented himself for registration, complied
| with the requirements of said fifth clause; and
if the court shall determine that said written ap-
| Mil q N nl1hnnff nv oQi6
| SON, complied with the requirements of said fifth
/ clause, and that said person was not disqualified
| under any other provision of this Article of the
| Constitution to be registered upon the books of
| registry in question, then the Court shall order
said person to be registered as Qualified voter,
but II the Court shall determine that said writ
| ten application of said person failed to comply
| with the requirements of said fifth clause, or
| that said person was in any other respect under
this Article of the Constitution disqualified to
be registered upon the books of registry in Ques-
ton. then the court shall order that said person
shall not be registered upon said books OF
The court may enforce any order by attach
ment for contempt in said cases; neither party
| shall have any right of removal; exception may
be taken to any ruling of the court at the hear
ing of said cases and an appeal shall be allowed
to the Court OF Appeals as in other cases; all
such appeals shall be taken within five days
from the date of the decision complained of, and
shall be heard and decided by the Court of APP
peals upon the original papers, or otherwise, as
the Court of Appeals may by rule prescribe, as
soon as may be practicable.
| Tn6 General Assembly Sudll nave power u
| provide more fully by legislation not inconsis
| tent with this section of this Article, for the
hearing and determination of all such cases,
SEC.2. And be it further enacted by the au-
thOrity aforesaid That the aforegOing section
hereby proposed as an amendment to the Con-
stitution of this State shall be at the next Gen.
/ eral Election for members of the General As
sembly to be held in this State, submitted to the
legal and qualified voters thereof for their adop-
ton or rejection, In pursuance of the directions
| contained in Article XIV of the Constitution Of
this State, and at said general election the vote
| on the said proposed amendment shall be by
ballot, and upon each ballot there shall be prin-
| ted the words For the Constitutional Amend
ment'' and Against the Constitutional Amend
| mentn as now prescribed by law, and immedi-
| atey after said election due returns shall be
made to the Governor of the vote for and against
| said proposed amendment, as directed by the
| said Article XIV of the Constitution.
| Approved February %, 1908.
Now, therefore, 1. Austin l.. Crothers, Cover
/ nor of the State of Maryland, in pursuance OF
| the provisions of Section J. of Article IA OF the
| Constitution of the State of Maryland, do here
| by order and direct that copy of said Act pro-
| posing an amendment to Section of Article OF
| the Constitution of said State, be published in
| at least two newspapers in each of the counties
| of the State and in three newspapers in the City
| the German language, once week for at least
| three months preceding the next General Elec-
| ton, which election will be held on November
| I'd, 1909 at which election the said proposed
| amendment shall be submitted. in the form and
| manner prescribed by the General Assembly, to
| the legal and qualified voters of the State for
| their adoption or rejection.
| Given under my hand and the Great Seal
| 49, of the State of Maryland. Done at the
/ Jcrsa nf