572 



NORTH CAROLINA. 



"Western Europe and Russia, visiting Austria, 

 Germany, Italy, and France, being always a 

 welcome guest at the courts of these coun- 

 tries. "While in St. Petersburg he was treated 

 almost like a member of the imperial family. 

 He has received an excellent education, speak- 

 ing Servian, French, Italian, German, and Rus- 

 sian fluently. Under his government the coun- 

 try has made decided progress. He has re- 

 formed the civil administration, has raised the 

 standard of education by establishing schools of 

 different grades throughout the country, and 

 has effectually reorganized his army. In the 

 war of 1876, against Turkey, he was completely 

 successful, while in 1877 he also succeeded in 

 forcing the Turks to leave his country. In 

 1860 he married a daughter of the Waywode 

 Petar Vukotitch, by whom he has had one son, 

 Danilo, born June 17, 1871, and six daughters. 



NORTH CAROLINA. The events of the 

 year in North Carolina furnish little worthy of 

 record. There has been a uniformly peace- 

 ful and undisturbed condition of affairs, and aa 

 no elections were held, the State has been free 

 from political excitement. Official terms and 

 periods being for two years, and no session of 

 the Legislature occurring in 1878, there are no 

 official reports from which statistics of the vari- 

 ous interests of the commonwealth may be de- 

 rived. 



The session of the Legislature which began 

 in November, 1876, continued until the 3d of 

 March following. One of the most important 

 measures adopted was an act to regulate elec- 

 tions, which consolidated, revised, and amend- 

 ed the existing provisions on the subject. It 

 provides for a general election on the Tue$- 



STATE SEAL OP NORTH CAROLINA. 



day after the first Monday in November, 1880, 

 and every four years thereafter. The Board 

 of Justices of the Peace in each county is au- 

 thorized to establish polling places, and appoint 

 registrars of voters in each precinct. The regis- 

 trars are required to keep their books open 

 for 30 days prior to any election, for the pur- 

 pose of revising the lists of qualified voters, but 

 the Board of Justices of the Peace may direct 



an entirely new registration if they think 

 proper, on giving 30 days' notice thereof. No 

 elector is allowed to register or vote, except in 

 the township or precinct of which he is a b&na 

 fide resident on the day of election. No cer- 

 tificates of registration are to be given, but on 

 the Saturday preceding any election the books 

 are to be open for inspection, and opportunity 

 given for challenges. The registrars and judges 

 of election determine, after due examination, 

 the right of the challenged person to vote. 

 The judges of election are appointed by the 

 Board of Justices of the Peace, and are four 

 in number for each precinct, two of whom 

 must be " of a different political party, where 

 possible, from the registrars." The judges of 

 election are required to keep poll-books in 

 which the name of every man voting at an 

 election is to be entered. Qualified voters 

 under this act are male citizens of the United 

 States, twenty-one years old and upward, who 

 have resided in the State one year, and in the 

 county 90 days, except idiots, lunatics, and 

 persons guilty of felony or infamous crime 

 committed after January 1, 1877, whose rights 

 of citizenship have not been restored. Fraudu- 

 lent registration or voting is made an in- 

 famous crime, punishable by fine not exceed- 

 ing $1,000, or imprisonment not exceeding two 

 years, or both. An oath as to residence or 

 other qualifications must be administered, 

 when demanded by any elector. A person re- 

 moving from one precinct to another must 

 bring a certificate of the removal of his name 

 from the list in the former before he can be 

 registered in the latter. A person's right to 

 vote may be challenged on election day, when 

 such person shall be required to make oath as 

 to his qualifications. Even then the judges 

 may refuse to take his vote if satisfied by 

 other evidence that he is not a legal voter. 

 Votes are to be counted by the registrars and 

 judges of election, in the presence of as many 

 electors as choose to attend, reading aloud 

 the names on each ballot. The judges of elec- 

 tion must appoint one of their number to attend 

 the Board of County Canvassers, and he must 

 be furnished with the original statement of the 

 result of the election in his own precinct. 

 These members of the township or precinct 

 boards constitute the County Board of Can- 

 vassers, who are required to meet at the court- 

 house on the second day after the election, and, 

 after taking oath for the faithful performance 

 of their duties, to make an abstract of the vote 

 for the entire county. Three copies of such 

 abstract are to be made, one to be delivered to 

 the sheriff of the county, one filed in the office 

 of the register of deeds, and the other for- 

 warded to the Secretary of State. The origi- 

 nal returns are to be delivered after the county 

 canvass is completed, to the Clerk of the 

 Superior Court, to be placed on file. The per- 

 son having the greatest number of votes for 

 any office is to be declared elected. The state- 

 ment of the vote of each county for State 



