MISSOURI. 



527 



Included in the census are 16 Chinese and 

 809 Indians. The true value of property was 

 $209,197,345. The public debt, county, city, 

 town, etc., amounted to $798,185. The aggre- 

 gate value of farm-products, including better- 

 ments and additions to stock, was $73,137,953 ; 

 288,285 pounds of wool were raised ; 48,028 

 whites, and 264,723 colored persons, ten years 

 old and over, cannot write, of whom 150,984 

 are males, and 161,767 are females. Of those 

 twenty-one years old and over who cannot 

 write, 9,357 are white males. 



The Legislature of 1872 assembled at Jack- 

 son on the 2d of January. Governor Powers, 

 who occupied the Executive chair after the 

 resignation of Alcorn, to take his seat in the 

 United States Senate, submitted a message, in 

 which he made several important recommen- 

 dations. One of these favored the amendment 

 of the jury laws, so as "to prevent the chal- 

 lenging of a juryman upon the ground of his 

 having formed or expressed an opinion, unless 

 he is willing to say that he is prejudiced in the 

 case to such an extent as to doubt his ability 

 to do the prisoner justice by deciding in ac- 

 cordance with the testimony produced before 

 tho court." He also urged the passage of a 

 law prohibiting the carrying of concealed 

 weapons, and recommended reforms in the 

 revenue and educational systems, and in the 

 management of State charitable and penal in- 

 stitutions. 



MISSOURI. The twenty-sixth General As- 

 sembly of the State of Missouri met on the 

 last Monday of December, 1870, and continued 

 in session until ho 20th of March, when it 

 adjourned until December, much important 

 legislation being still unfinished. There were 

 one hundred and twenty-one acts passed, but 

 nearly all of them were without interest to 

 the general reader. General Frank P. Blair 

 was elected to the United States Senate by a 

 vote of 102 to 63. 



The most important measure of the ses- 

 sion, and one which occupied the largest share 

 of attention, was a new registration act. The 

 material changes in the constitutional pro- 

 visions regarding the right of suffrage made 

 the enactment of a new law for the registra- 

 tion of voters, or at least the repeal of the old 

 one, a matter of necessity. The law, as finally 

 passed, after considerable modification from 

 the original draft, provides that 



Every male citizen of the United States and every 

 person of foreign birth, who may have declared his 

 intentions to become a citizen of the United States, 

 according to law, not less than one year nor more 

 than five years before he offers to vote, who is over 

 the age of twenty-one years, who has resided in this 

 State one year next preceding his registration as a 

 voter, and during the last sixty days of that period 

 shall have resided in the county, city, or town where 

 he seeks registration as a voter, who is not convicted 

 of bribery, perjury, or other infamous crime, nor 

 directly nor indirectly interested in any bet or wager 

 depending upon the result of the election for which 

 said registration is made, nor serving at the time of 

 such registration in the regular army or navy of the 



United States, shall be entitled to vote at such elec- 

 tion for all officers, State, county, or municipal, made 

 elective by the people, or any other election held in 

 pursuance of the laws of this State, but he shall not 

 vote elsewhere than in the election district where his 

 name is registered, except as provided in the twenty- 

 first section of the second article of the constitution. 



The county courts were authorized to ap- 

 point the registrars in 1871, but thereafter they 

 are to be elected by the voters in each district 

 every two years. All persons qualified to vote 

 in accordance with the above-cited provision, 

 after subscribing to an oath to support the 

 constitutions of the United States and of the 

 State of Missouri, are entitled to registration. 

 Any person offering to vote may be challenged 

 by any qualified voter, and it is the duty of the 

 judges of election, thereupon, "to try and de- 

 termine in a summary manner, before the close 

 of the polls, the qualifications of such person, 

 and, upon proofs that he is disqualified, they 

 shall reject his vote, noting the fact opposite 

 his name on the list, with the nature of the 

 disqualification and the names of the witnesses 

 thereto, of which there shall be at least two 

 of reputable character. The ballots of persons 

 whose votes have been rejected are to be pre- 

 served, and returned with the others in a sepa- 

 rate envelope, marked " rejected ballots." The 

 returns are to be made to the county clerks. 

 The days of registration are to be appointed 

 by the county courts, and shall be not more 

 than five in number, and within sixty days 

 preceding the tenth day before the biennial 

 elections. The judges of election for each 

 voting precinct are also to be appointed by the 

 county courts. A new registration must be 

 made in case of special election. Special and 

 more stringent provisions are made regarding 

 registration in the county of St. Louis. Any 

 person registering under an assumed name, or 

 in more than one district, or in any other 

 illegal manner, is liable to a penalty of not 

 less than fifty dollars' fine and three months' 

 imprisonment. Any registrar registering the 

 name of a person not qualified to vote is liable 

 to a fine of not more than five hundred dol- 

 lars, and imprisonment not exceeding twelve 

 months. Provision is also made for punishing 

 any change or mutilation in the books or re- 

 turns. 



The question of providing for a convention 

 to frame a new constitution was agitated, and 

 a resolution was introduced, which provided 

 for submitting the question, whether such a 

 convention should be held or not, to a vote of 

 the people, at the regular election in 1872. 

 This passed the House by a large majority, 

 but in the Senate a substitute was offered, 

 providing for a commission to be appointed by 

 the Governor to revise the constitution. This 

 failed by one vote, and the whole subject finally 

 went over to the adjourned session. 



Among the other important bills which 

 went over, were the general revenue bill, 

 which had passed the Senate, and an act 

 providing for the appointment by the Gov- 



