constitution framed by that convention. It
would be very little to do, would make but
a page or two, and may be very useful in
time to come.
The question being taken, the order was
adopted.
Mr. GALLOWAY called up the following re-
port, which was read and adopted :
" The committee on accounts in compli-
ance with the order passed the 30th instant,
respectfully report that, after a careful examination
of said order, they recommend
that the president of the convention pay all
bills for reporting and printing of the journal
of debates remaining unpaid after the ad-
journment. of the said convention, when the
same are duly certified as correct by Mr. Jo-
seph H. Audoun, or some other member of
the committee on reporting and printing."
ELECTIVE FRANCHISE.
Mr. EARLE, from the committee of revision,
reported back to the convention the article on
the elective franchise, with amendments; and
recommended that said amendments be con-
curred in by the convention.
The first section of this article as adopted
by the convention reads:
" All elections shall be by ballot, and every
white male citizen of the United States of the
age of twenty-one years or upwards, who
shall have resided in the State one year next
preceding the election and six months in the
city of Baltimore or in any county, shall be
entitled to be registered as a legal voter; and
such registration made in accordance with
such provisions as the general assembly may
prescribe, together with the muster rolls of
all such soldiers as may be entitled to be reg-
istered in the State, and who may be serving
in the army of the United States, shall beheld
and taken as the only evidence of qualifica-
tion to vote at any election hereafter, and the
general assembly shall by law provide for
taking the votes of soldiers serving in the
army of the United States, in the field; and
in case any county or city shall be so divided
as to form, portions of different electoral dis-
tricts for the election of Congressman, senator,
delegate, or other officer or officers, then to
entitle a person to vote for such officer; he
must have been a resident of that part of the
county or city which shall form a part of the
electoral district in which he offers to vote,
for six months next preceding the election ;
but a person who shall not have acquired a
residence in such county, or city, entitling
him to vote at any such election, shall be en-
titled to vote in the election district from
which he removed, until he shall have ac-
quired a residence in the part of the county
or city to which be has removed."
This section as remodeled by the committee
of revision reads in the following manner :
Section 1. All elections shall be by ballot,
and every white male citizen of the United |
States of the age of twenty-one years or up-
wards, who shall have resided in the State
one year next preceding the election, and six
months in any county, or in any legislative
district of Baltimore city, and who shall com-
ply with the provisions of this article of the
constitution, shall be entitled to vote at all
elections hereafter 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 Congressman, senator, del-
egate) or other officer or officers, then to en-
title a person to vote for such officer, he must
have been a resident of that part of the county
or city which shall form a part of the electoral
district in which he offers to vote, for six
months next preceding the election; but a
person who shall have acquired a residence in
such county or city, entitling him to vote at
any such election, shall be entitled to vole in
the election district from which he removed,
until he shall have acquired a residence in the
part of the county or city to which be has re-
moved.
The proposed changes in the section will be
seen by comparing the above forms, one with
the other.
The second section of this article recom-
mended by the committee, is a new one,
though it contains no new matter.
It embraces the seventh section as adopted
by the convention, and such parts of the first
section, as the committee rejected in their
first section. It relates to the registration of
voters, and to the vote of the soldiers in the
United States service, and reads thus :
Section 2. The general assembly shall pro-
vide by law for a uniform registration of the
names of voters in this State, which registra-
tion shall be evidence of the qualification of
said voters to vole at any election thereafter
held. But no person shall be excluded from
voting at any election on account of not being
registered until the general assembly shall
have passed an act of registration, and the
same shall have been carried into effect, after
which no person shall vote unless his name
appears on the register. The general assem-
bly shall also provide by law for taking the
votes of soldiers in the army of the United
States serving in the field.
The committee recommend that the sixth
section of this article be made the third sec-
tion. It specifies a class of persons who shall
not be en titled to vote, and this is evidently
its most appropriate place,
The section has been slightly modified by
the committee, and as changed will read thus :
Section 3. No person above the age of
twenty-one years convicted of larceny or other
infamous crime, unless pardoned by the gov-
ernor, shall ever thereafter be entitled to vote
at any election in this State; and no lunatic
or person non compos mentis shall be entitled
to vote.
The next section relates to the test oath for |
