Evening star., 1941-07-26
Montgomery Court
Weighs Arguments in
Voting RegistyCase
Head of G. 0. P. Club
Sues to Have Womon's
Name Token OFF List
BY a Staff Correspondent of The Star.

ROCKVILLE, Md, July 26.-The
Montgomery County Circuit Court
today had under advisement argu-
ments concerning the voting quail
cations of a person who has been
registered on the election records in
less than year from his first dec
laration of intention of becoming a
citizen of Maryland.
BY stipulation counsel for the
plaintiff and defense agreed as to
the facts set out in petition which
was filed by John r. Reeves of Be-
thesda, president of the Seventh
District Republican Club of Mont
gomery County.
The facts, as stipulated by both
sides, are that Mrs Blanche C.
Oliver. 47O4 Chevy Chase boulevard,
Bethesda. appeared before the clerk
of the Circuit Court May 10 and
filed her declaration of intention Of
becoming a citizen of Maryland. On
July 2 the County Board of Registry
entered the name of Mrs. Oliver on
the register of qualified voters, not
withstanding the fact that Mrs.
Oliver had not resided continuously
in the State for one year between
her declaration and the time she
was registered as a qualified voter.
Wouldn't Remove Name.
Other facts stipulated show Mr..
Reeves filed a complaint with the
Board of Registry on July 7 and the
board summoned Mrs. Oliver July
10 to show cause why her name
should not be removed from the list
of qualified voters. On the latter
date the board refused to remove
Mrs. divers name.
Named as defendants in the petit
ton, which seeks a court order to
strike Mrs. divers name from the
qualified voters list, are Mrs. Oliver
and Alfred D. Noyes and Miss Rose
K. Dawson, the latter two members
of the Board of Registry.
Arguments presented Judges Sted-
man Prescott and Charles w. Wood
ward yesterday hinged on the legal
issues involved
Leo Bender, counsel for petitioner,
told the court, "Mr. Reeves has, of
course. no personal animosity to-
ward Mrs. Oliver, but he is merely
seeking to straighten out voting
practice, as any aggrieved voter has
a right to do"
Cites State Statute.
He contended that the Declara-
tions of Intentions Act passed by
the Legislature in 1902 sought to
establish in fact a constitutional
provision that a person has lived
within the State for one year before
becoming eligible to vote He ar
gued, however, that once name is
placed on the registry no election
official can challenge that persons
right to vote
Donald Bowie, counsel for Mrs
Oliver, contended that existing State
laws permit a person to register less
than a year after the declaration
providing the election in which that
person votes is year or more after
the declaration. In Mrs. divers
case. he said, there will be no regu-
lar election until the fall of 1912.
Joseph A. Cantrel, counsel for the
board, argued that, according to Mr..
Reeves contention, person could
file declaration in October of this
year yet be ineligible to vote in the
election of November, 1912, because
the registration books are closed 80
days IN advance of an election, this
despite the fact that the person
would have met the constitutional
and legislative provisions of being
a citizen and declaring such inten-
ton for more than a year before
the election