The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-07-31
CHAPTER 26

ton of the State, which said Act is in the fol-
lowing words, to wit:
CHAPTER 20.
AN ACT to amend Section one of Article one,
title Effective Franchise" of the Coustitu-
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 ii 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. Effective Franchise" of the |
Constitution Of this State, and if adopted by the
vided, it shall supersede and stand in the place
and stead of Section one of said Article one.
every male citizen of the United States of the age
of twenty-one years or upwards, who has been a
resident of the State for two years and of the
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 a qualified voter as
provided in this Article shall be entitled to VOTE
in the ward or election district in which he re-
Sides at all elections hereafter to be held in this
State, and in 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,
he must have been resident of that part of the
county 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 a 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
have acquired residence in the part of the
county or city to which he has removed.
Every male citizen of the United States having
the above prescribed qualifications of age and
residence shall be entitled to be registered, as
to become 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:
q foreign born citizen of the United States natur-
allied between the first day of January in the
year eighteen hundred and sixty nine and the
date of the adoption of this section of this Arti-
Gle; or fourth a 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
to him by any of the officers of registration,
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, If any,
at the time and for the two years next proceed;
ing, and whether he has previously voted. and
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 aforegoing requirements as to max
ing application Representation in his own hand
writing, solely because he is physically disabled
from so doing; or sixth: person, or the hus-
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
I've dollars therefor
on the textbooks of the City of Baltimore or of
one of the counties of this State, has been such
owner and 80 assessed for two years next pre-
ceding his application for registration: shall
have paid and shall produce receipts for the
taxes on said property for said two years and
shall at the time of his application make ahdav1t
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 ne 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 OIL
GERS of registration and shall be produced in any
Court, if required, as hereinafter provided.
The affidavit of any applicant for 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 sixty-nine, and the date of the
adoption of this Article, as aforesaid, or his afi-
davit upon information and belief that he is q
descendant of person who was entitled to vote
on or before the first day of January, in the year
eighteen hundred and sixty nine, or that he is a
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 sixty-nine, and the date OF the adop-
ton of this section of this article shall be prtd
fdcie evidence of any of said facts so sworn to.
wilfully false statement upon the part OF
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
this State.
Any person who feels aggrieved by the action
of any board of officers of registration in refus-
ing 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
than the Tuesday next preceding the ELECTION,
file petition. verified by affidavit, in the Circuit
Court f0 tne II Sa N Of
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 70 pc
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 on
the name of any person. summons shall also De
issued for such person, which shall be served by
the Sheriff within the time therein designated !;
and said several courts shall have fuil 1nrlsaic,
of officers of registration and to grant or with
! hold, as IL may deem lawful and proper, the re-
| lief prayed for in the premises.
| In determining whether any person who APP
| piled to be registered under the above fifth
clause of this section was or was not entitled 10
| be registered under said fifth clause, the court
shall require the board of officers of registration
| complained against to produce the written APP
| plication prepared and submitted by such per-
| son at the time he presented himself 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
| with the requirements of said fifth clause; and
if the court shall determine that said written ap-
plication, so prepared and submitted by said per-
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 qua1l1ned voter,
but If 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
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.
The General Assembly shall have power to
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 Cen
sembly to be held in this State, submitted to the
legal and qualified voters thereof for their adop-
tion 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 bv
ballot and upon each ballot there shall be prin-
ted the words For the Constitutional Amend
ment" and Against the constitutional A mend
ment'' as now prescribed by law, and immedi-
ately 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, /. Austin l.. Crothers, Cover
nor of the State of Maryland, in pursuance of
the provisions of Section j. of Article IA of the
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
of Baltimore one of which shall be published in