Year: 1870

ship, in We,zel county, to take stock in
the New Martinsville Public School and
Masonic Building Company.


Senate Bill No. SO, authorizing K. U.
Dovener to establish ferry across the
Little Kanawha river in Writ county.


Senate Bill No. 60, concerning the
late election in Nicholas county, was
recommitted to the Judiciary.


On motion of Mr.. DAVIS, Senate Bill
No. 20, allowing further time to Michael
l.. Raden, late Sheriff Of Nicholas coun-
ty, to collect taxes, was tabled.


A message from the House, by Mr..
Farusworth, announced the adoption OF
House Joint Resolution No. 33, request
ing Congress to grant a pension to John
B. Shipman, of Upshnr county, and
asking the concurrence of the Senate.
Recess.


2o'CLoCK p. N.


The special order being the motion
to indefinitely postpone House BIZ No.
81, to amend the registration law.


Mr.. RAMSDELL said that this bill
had attracted more attention than any
bill that had been or would be before
the Legislature this session. Having
been absent during the early part of thr
session, he had been undecided as to his
action upon this bill, but having made
up his mind he desired to express his
reasons for voting, as he intended, to
indefinitely postpone the bill. lie had
consulted many of the members OF the
Legislature, apd this bill did not meet
the wishes OF either party. Many OF
the Senators came here determined to
adopt liberal measures, but he had not
been elected last fall and was under ne
obligation to endorse liberal measures,
but he might be nnder an implied obi
CATION 10 do so, as he had at his County
Convention last fall drawn mp resolu
ion expressing the sense of the COnven-
ton as being IN favor of liberal meas
uIes. This bill was mere shadow; It
did not remove the political disabilities
If any one. We were a part OF the
United States and We're bound 10 con
form to the laws thereof; and the Elf
tcenth Amendment having become a
fixed fact, he thought we were bound to
remove all political disabilities. Taxing
this view of the case he should vete for
the indefinite postponement OF the bill,
and should it carry, he would then ofieI
resolution proposing an amendment
to the Cons tuition removing all polti-
cal disabilities.


Mr.. PATRICK said he desired to ex
plain his vote on this question, as he
had openly expressed himself as being
opposed to the bill. He was in favor of a
bill compelling the Board of Registra
tion to register every man entitled to
vote. He would have them amenable
as other officers for a failure to dis
charge their duties, and as this bill con-
tanned no such provision he had deter
mined to vote against it, but on further
consideration and with Difference to the
opinion of his colleague he had deter
mined to change his opinion and vote
for the bill.


Mr.. YOUNG said he could not see why
the motion to indefinitely postpone had
been made, and that he would certainly
vote against it. At the close of the war
it had certainly been necessary to adopt
certain measures for the protection of
the people, and that the registry law
was one of these. 1t had worked much
better than could have been expected.
We claimed to be a Republican party
and have republican form of Govern
ment, where all officers were elected by
the people, and he was in favor
of this bill as matter of
principle aud not as a party measure.
The people were certainly better pre-.
pared to say who should be registrars
than the Governor, who could not al.
ways be informed as to the kind of men
he was appointing, and the people
were not so liable to be imposed on. He
had been elected as Republican on the
negro suffrage platform, and he
would vote for this bill on the same
ground that he would vote fer negro
suffrage, because he believed it to be
right. He had been sent here by men
who had fought to save this Govern.
ment, aud they expected him to vote for
these liberal measures. 1t was true the
bill was not such as he would like, but
nevertheless, he would vote for it. He
was aware that in some localities the
same rebellious, reasonable and vindic-
tive spirit which characterized the
rebels at the beginning of the war still
existed, but that it was fast dying out
aud would soon become extinct. ltwas
necessary to have a registry law 10 pre-
serve the purity of the ballot.box, but
he could see no reason why registrars,
who were the servants of the people,
should not be elected as other officers


Mr.. PHELPS said he regarded the Re-
publican party as being pledged to a
modification of the registry law This
bill did not meet his appreciation fully;
he thought he could make one that
would save the State an expenditure of
$40 900, but as this bill had passed the
House almost unanimously he was will
ing to take it as it was and give it his
hearty support. There was time when
the law as it now stands was a matter
of public necessity; but that time had
passed. Every State should have a
registry law for preserving the purity
of elections. 1t was the duty of the
Legislature to pass such laws as would
secure The greatest good to the greatest
number. 1t might be that the Republi-
can party represented the majority as
political party, but he was legislating
for the majority of the whole peo-
pie, without regard to party; and a
large majority of the people were
in favor of this modification of the
law. He was willing to allow one
Democrat on the Board of registration
A. ia fhnnnht