Show IS IT not HOT TIME TO BEGIN AT the election hold hoid last november a large number of citizens were unable to vote because their names had been stricken off the registration lists hats the expunging of their names was the work of registrars appointed by the commissioners sent sen een here there to supervise election affairs fairfi and was done under the rules and regulations formulated and tind by that body one of them required every citizen to take an oath concerning his or her marital ma ital relations and failure to subscribe to it W was taken as an admission that he or sho bho was disqualified by law to exercise the franchise there was waa no law faw authorizing the commissioners to legislate for this territory in any manner their du ties were clearly defined by the act which created their office and it is specifically stated therein that they should be cle performed under the existing laws ot of the united states and ot of said territory this clearly de barred them from making new jaws even it if such a stretch of authority as legislative powers could be in any way construed as belonging to their office the existing laws of this terri tory prescribed the form of an oath to be taken by applicants for registration tra tion the commissioners added to that an oath of their own devising thus assuming legislative functions which as we have shown in nowise belonged to them rhe the rho oath they required was therefore told vold in law and the striking of the names of registered voters from the existing lists was an illegal act and those citizens who were thus thua deprived of a sacred and vested right were illegally franchised disfranchised dis aney submitted to the wrong for the tha sake of peace and in order that nothing might stand in the way of an election which their enemies desired to prevent but they by no means conceded the validity of the registrars doings by which they were robbed of the ballot there are many questions growing out ot of this summary punishment inflicted upon citizens ancon and without a trial trials which we need not enter upon J just ast att now such buch buchas as the disfranchise ment of persons who had broken no law of congress or of the territory or who if they had broken any such law were treed freed from legal consequences by the act of limitation etc bat the chief thing to bo be considered is what k is to be done about this are these men and women unlawfully prevented from exercise ing a right dear to every citizen to be ba always thus debarred barred de from voting Is the tha illegal act to be permitted to stand as though it were good law jaw and sound practice 0 or r s shail h al I 1 an a n effort gir gin ort bo be m made 8 d e in the interest of justice and liberty to restore to them that which has been wrested from them by glaring usurpation and amazing assumption of arbitrary power powel we are in favor of contesting this wholesale invasion of political rights inch by inch and to the last extremity lawfully of course but without hesitation and regardless of cost coat and wo we would have it done without needless delay delany time is a very essential element in legal proceedings ce they consume more moro than their due share bhare the of ever rolling years the sooner the preliminary steps are taken in the direction of a movement for the recovery of our opinion the better there maybo maybe may bo continuances there may be dilatory motions re requiring quirin quinin long iong consideration there may a be appeals when a lawsuit is entered upon it ia 18 difficult to foretell when it will end wo we have right upon our side and we have the law to sustain us nad lad d there is no necessity for hoang back the propositions to bo be de debated rated the principles in queston question are to eo plain and so eo well established that however desirous our local judiciary might be to sustain the course of the appointees of the government we do not think they can forbear decisions that will w 11 restore many in any who are now practically disfranchise ed to the exercise of their lawful and invaluable political rights at any rate the triai trial should bo be made for if we tamely submit to luch buch indignities we shall shail fully deserve to suffer their fall consequences if our rights aro are not worth defending they are not worth having t this is a matter that concerns not only the thousands of men and wo men who have been defrauded but the upholders of human everywhere the struggle will be in behalf of freedom in general for the maintenance of constitutional guaranties guarantees guaran ties and for the supremacy of pr properly opery enacted laws over the dicta of official individuals it is of more than local moment and will be ba far reaching in ito its influence aud nud effects |