Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1916-05-15
The Law in Regard
To Registration

Prior to the recent amendment OF
Section 2, Article II, of the Oregon
which requires all per-
sons to be citizens of the United
States before they can vote a person,
foreign born, could vote on his first
papers, but since the enactment OF
sad section such person must be
citizen to have the right Of suffrage,
which means that he shall have COM
piled with the naturalization laws
and received his final papers.
The permanent registration law OF
1915 provides that foreign person
reg g'stering shall state: Whether
naturalized, If naturalized, the time,
place and court of naturalization, as
evidenced by the final citizenship pa
pers or duly authenticated copy of
certificate thereof, made by the
proper officer of the court where is.
sued and exhibited by the elector."
A provision Is made that a. person
heretofore registered as fully natural
lied shaD not be required to exhibit
his citizenship papers when register
ing under said act, which could apply
only as shown by the records of pre-
vious registrations, and as there
were no distinctions made as to
declarations or first papers and nat
urallzation or second papers, it Is
necessary to have the final papers
exhibited now in order to comply
with the law
In referring to the registration OF
foreign born persons, the attorney
general in an opinion recently said:
"As applied to the registration OF
such citizens, clearly he cannot fur
nish the final citizenship papers for
the inspection of the county clerk as
provided in Section OF Chapter 1926.
Laws of 1915, and, in the absence of
any showing in the former registra-
tion books of the county whether an
elector there registered was natural
lied or not, it Is apparent that he
cannot comply with either Of the
qualifications and that 1t will be nee.
essary for him to comply with the
naturalization law"
In cases where the records Of for
mer registrations have shown the
person fully naturalized his reglstra-
tion has been accepted without the
exhibit of papers.
When the present registration Is =
completed the records will show
everyone registered as fully natural
led" and it will not be necessary
for persons re-registering to exhibit
their papers.
The registration law has been ad-
ministered in the other counties of
oregon as in Jackson county, exhibit
Of papers or exact dates being re-
luired.
Having helped to draft the regis
ration law, will say that the law as
.lrst drawn required only evidence
or proof of naturalization law, the
requirements for the exhibit of pa
)ers being tackled on by the legisla-
ure.
Considerable has been said by the
Nail Tribune as to the registration
If certain persons, among them be-
ng Mrs. Bellinger of Medford, whose
ard was returned for correction
,ny; Mr. Bulge, Mr.. Ashpole and
Bert Haney, all of whom have been
egistered as well as some of the
'thers mentioned by the Mail Tri-
une.
A special effort has been made to
,et in touch with the records of those
many being able to find
ecord of their citizenship papers,
While others find they are not citi-
ems, but have been voting on either
heir own or their fathers first pa
ers, which was proper up to this
ear.
AS to Mr.. Ahern's case: Mr..
-hren said; "Mr, Putnam had the
wv there and said could be regis
,red, and that it was not necessary
,r me to exhibit any papers" I am
OF aware as to what part Mr.. Put
am has in the registration, outside
his liberal criticism, Of which I
ave no objections were it all the
nth.
AS to Mr.. Kelly's opinion in the
after, will say that have followed
IS advice when his advice has been
jked. G. A. GARDNER.