things relating to protests and protesting bills of exchange and promissory notes, and all other matters within their office required by law; to take depositions as prescribed by law, and acknowledgments of deeds and other instruments, and to administer oaths. Commissioners. SEC. 2. The governor may appoint, in any foreign country, and in each of the United States, in the District of Columbia, and in any territory of the United States, one or more commissioners, under the seal of this state, to continue in office during the pleasure of the governor for the time being. SEC. 3. Before any commissioner shall perform any duty of his office, he shall take and subscribe an oath before any justice of the peace, or other officer authorized to administer oaths in the state, country, district or territory for which such commissioner is appointed, that he will faithfully discharge all the duties of his office; a certificate of which shall be filed in the office of the secretary of this state, within six months after the taking of the same. SEC. 4. Such commissioners shall have power to administer oaths, and to take depositions and affidavits to be used in this state; and also to take the acknowledgment of any deed or other instrument to be used or recorded in this state. SEC. 5. All oaths administered by such commissioners, and all affidavits and depositions taken by them, and all acknowledgments aforesaid certified by them, shall be as effectual in law, to all intents and purposes, as if certified by any judge, justice of the peace or public notary within this state. TITLE VI. Of Elections. CHAPTER 22. Of the rights and qualifications of voters. CHAPTER 23. Of the registering, listing, and returning lists of voters, and of proof of their qualification to vote. CHAPTER 24. Of canvassing the rights and correcting the lists of votes. CHAPTER 25. Of elective meetings. CHAPTER 26. Of the manner of conducting elections. CHAPTER 27. Of the election of representatives to congress. CHAPTER 28. Of the election of electors of president and vice-president of the United States. CHAPTER 29. General provisions concerning elections. SECTION 1. The two following classes of persons have, by the constitution, the first as registered, and the second as unregistered voters, a right to vote in the election of all civil officers, and on all questions, in all legally organized town, ward or district meetings: First, Every male native citizen of the United States, of the age of twenty-one years, who has had his residence and home in this state, two years, and in the town or city in which he may offer to vote, six months next preceding the time of voting, whose name shall be registered in the office of the clerk of the town where he resides, on or before the last day of December in the year next preceding the time of his voting, and who shall show by legal proof, that he has, for and within the year next preceding the time he shall offer to vote, paid a tax or taxes assessed against him in any towns or cities in this state, to the amount of one dollar, including in such tax or taxes, a tax upon his property in the town in which he shall offer to vote, valued at least at one hundred and thirty-four dollars. Second, Every male citizen of the United States, of the age of twenty-one years, who has had his residence and home in this state for one year, and in the town or city in which he may claim a right to vote, six months next preceding the time of voting, and who is really and truly possessed in his own right, of real estate in such town or city of the value of one hundred and thirty-four dollars over and above all incumbrances, or which shall rent for seven dollars per annum over and above any rent reserved or the interest of any incumbrances thereon, being an estate in fee-simple, feetail, for the life of any person, or an estate in reversion or remainder, which qualifies no other person to vote, the conveyance of which estate, if by deed, shall have been recorded at least ninety days. SEC. 2. The two following classes of persons have, by the constitution, as registered voters, a right to vote in all elections, and on all questions as aforesaid, except in the election of the city council of the city of Providence, or upon any proposition to impose a tax or for the expenditure of money in any town or city: First, Every male native citizen of the United States, of the age of twenty-one years, who has had his residence and home in this state two years, and in the town or city in which he may offer to vote, six months next preceding the time of voting, and whose name shall be registered in the town where he resided at the time of such registry, on or before the last day of December, in the year next preceding the time of his voting, and who shall show by legal proof, that he has for and within the year next preceding the time he shall offer to vote, paid a tax or taxes assessed against him in any town or city in this state, to the amount of one dollar. Second, Every such citizen, resident and registered as last aforesaid, who shall show by legal proof, that he has been enrolled in a military company in this state, and been equipped and done duty therein according to law, for at least one day during the year next preceding the time he shall offer to vote. SEC. 3. The following class of persons have by the constitution, as unregistered voters, a right to vote in the election of all general officers, and members of the general assembly, in the town or city in which they shall have had their residence and home for the term of six months next preceding the election: Every male citizen of the United States, of the age of twentyone years, who has had his residence and home in this state for one year, and shall own any such real estate within this state, but out of the town or city in which he resides, as is described in the second clause of the first section of this chapter, and who shall produce a certificate from the clerk of the town or city in which his estate lies, bearing date within ten days of the time of his voting, setting forth that such person has a sufficient estate therein to qualify him as a voter, and that the deed, if any, has been recorded ninety days. CHAPTER 23. OF THE REGISTERING, LISTING, AND RETURNING LISTS OF VOTERS, AND OF PROOF OF THEIR QUALIFICATION TO VOTE. SECTION 1. Of the registry book. 2. Who to be registered. 3. Penalty on town clerk for neglect, &c., in providing book and registering. 4. Of registered persons dead and nonresident. 5. Of purging the registry. 6. Penalty on town council for fraudulently, &c., striking from registry. SECTION 7. Of assessment of tax on persons registered. 8. Of delivery of assessments to collectors of taxes. 9. Penalty on town clerk for neglect to deliver assessments. 10. Penalty on assessors for not making any assessments. SECTION 11. Penalty on assessors for wilful neglect, &c., to assess particular person or per sons. 12. Of proof of fact of registry. 13. Of proof of payment of registry and 14 and 15. Registry and other taxes when 18. Of payment of property tax to entitle 21. Town clerk to certify payment of reg- 22. Penalty on collector and town clerk for wilful neglect, &c., of duty under two preceding sections. 23. Town, &c., clerks to give certified SECTION copies of lists of voters on demand, &c. 24. Penalty on town, &c., clerks for not furnishing such lists. 25. Collectors, &c. to furnish certified lists of persons who have paid taxes, &c., when, and penalty for neglect to furnish. 26. Collectors, &c., when to return to town council list of registered persons who have paid taxes, and how. 27. Penalty on collectors, &c., for not returning. 28. Proof of military service. 29. Penalty on commanding officer for wil- 30. Of return by commanding officer of 35. Penalty on town clerk for neglect, &c., SECTION 1. Every town clerk shall provide a suitable book for the registry of the names of all persons, who in order to vote, are required by the constitution to be registered; which book shall be kept in the office of the town clerk, for the purpose of such registry only, and shall always be open to the inspection of any elector of such town. SEC. 2. Said clerk shall register in said book, the name of every male inhabitant of the town, who shall demand such registry, and who shall declare that he is qualified by birth, and is or will be within a year qualified by age and residence, to vote in such town, together with the date of the registry; and shall also register therein, the name of every such inhabitant demanded to be registered by any elector of such town, who shall declare that such inhabitant is qualified by birth, and is or will be within a year qualified by age and residence, to vote therein; in which case, besides the date of the registry, he shall also register opposite the name of such inhabitant, the name of the elector demanding the same. SEC. 3. Every town clerk who shall neglect to provide and keep such book, or who shall refuse at any suitable time, to permit such inspection of the same, or who shall refuse or neglect to register the name of any person, upon demand and declaration as aforesaid, or shall register a name without a date, or with a false date, or shall fraudulently erase from the registry, the name of any person duly registered thereon, shall be fined one hundred dollars for each and every such offence. SEC. 4. No person whose name is upon the registry of any town shall be deemed to be registered therein, who shall have died, or who for the space of one year, shall have ceased to reside in such town. SEC. 5. It shall be the duty of the town council of each town, on the third Monday of June, in each year, carefully to examine the registry of such town, in open meeting, and to purge the same, by placing against the names of all persons thereon who are dead, or who for the space of one year, shall have ceased to reside in such town, or whose names shall not have been put upon some list of voters in said town, duly certified, for some election of general or town officers, for the space of three years next preceding the meeting of the town council, the word "dead," "non-resident," or "unqualified," as the case may be; and to correct the registry, where the same person is registered more than once thereon. SEC. 6. If the name of any person shall be wilfully or fraudulently stricken from the registry as aforesaid, whose name should be retained thereon, every member of the town council wilfully or fraudulently concurring in the same, shall be fined one hundred dollars for every name so stricken off. SEC. 7. On or before the second Monday of January in each year, the town clerk of every town shall deliver to the assessors of taxes for their respective towns, a certified copy from the registry, of the names of all persons registered in the town on or before the last day of December preceding, alphabetically arranged, placing opposite the name of every person thereon, the amount of his assessed property tax, for and within the said year; and such assessors of taxes shall, within five days thereafter, in every year, assess upon every person whose name shall have been registered as aforesaid, as his registry tax, a tax of one dollar, or such sum as with his other taxes shall amount to one dollar, and return to the clerk's office of the town, the said copy of the registry by them duly certified, with the registry tax assessed against each person placed against his name thereon, which copy so returned, it shall be the duty of the town clerk to put on file in his office. SEC. 8. The town clerk shall, within five days after the assessments have been made in each year, deliver a duly certified copy of the registry, with the assessments aforesaid, to the collector of taxes for such town. SEC. 9. Every town clerk neglecting or refusing to deliver such certified copy to the assessors as aforesaid, or wilfully delivering a false or imperfect copy, shall be fined three hundred dollars. SEC. 10. If any assessors of taxes shall wholly neglect or refuse to make such assessments, each and every such assessor so neglecting or refusing, shall be fined one thousand dollars, and be liable to imprisonment for one year. SEC. 11. If any assessors shall wilfully neglect or refuse to assess as aforesaid any person registered as aforesaid, each and every assessor so neglecting or refusing, shall be fined one hundred dol |