The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1821-1823, 1821-10-17

selves. Such individuals do not consti.
tute any considerable portion of the PEG.
pie, nor are their interests or objects the
same with those of the publick. Having
no distinct interests to promote, and no
such feelings to gratify-~-as part of ths
people, we appeal to them, and invite
them, with us, to deliberate and decide
as the publick interests and honour shall
require.
1t has been with us an inquiry, and we
are assured it is becoming more and
more subject of sober inquiry in every
part of the County, What are the oJjec-
lions to the recollection Of the present Regis
ter? Upon what grounds are we called
upon to depart from ancient usage, and,
by refusing to re-elect him, to inlict up
on him the severest punishment which a
man of integrity and Of sensibiIity can
endure For whose benefit is the quiet
Of the community disturbed, and the rep
utation and comfort of individuals assail-
ed? Two objections have been urged
against DR.. Fiske--one, his deafness; and
the other, the taking of crccssiUe fees. If
these. objections are shown, the one to
be invalid, and the other unfounded, we
have no doubt that you, fellow-citizens,
will be. satisfied, as we have become,
that there is no sufficient motive for our
discarding him
, AS to the firstobjection--we asl, wheth-
er, if it stood alone, it would be thought
TO have much weight? Should we seri-
ously determine to remove, on that ac-
count, publick officer who has, notwith-
standing, discharged The duties of bis of
flee with hardly the least Inconvenience
to the community? Is not the business
of the Office now well conducted? And
should we be willing to abandon, for such
a cause alone, one who, nevertheless, la
bours almost necessarily in our service,
and has abandoned every other pursuit
that he might so labour? Surely we
would not be less liberal in this respect
than our brethren in Middlesex, who,
with the same objection before them,
constantly reelected the late MIR. Bart
lett to the same Office. Many of US have
had much business in the Registers of
flee, and we aver most sincerely, that we
never experienced those Inconvenience
which some have supposed TO exist
But we cannot believe this objection has
ever had great weight and we leave it,
TO consider that which is of much more
serious nature, VIZ the charge Of taking
too large fees.
Ii is impossible, upon this occasion, to
go into all the considerations which at
once suggest themselves, in relation to
this subject. Nor have we time to set
forth the various instances of misap-
prehension and mistake on this subject,
which, it appears by the relation of dit
ferent individuals, have existed in the
community We can only observe, gen.
orally, that many instances of this nature
have resulted from misapprehenson as
to the amount of the legal fees for re-
cording, including the duty payable to
the County--in others, from mistake
as to what constitutes page, for which
a speci6ck sum is allowed. Some cases,
indeed, probably exist, (for it would be
a miracle were it not SOY in which an
exact computation of the a0ords in deed
would show that few more cents have
been received than the deed actually a.
mountedto. But are we, on that account,
to convict the Register of ertortion /? Do
we require of him impossibilities We
should consider that almost. every other
pubiick officer is guided by fixed items
of fees, which do not vary with the de-
gree Of service for which they are al
lowed. In most cases, if u Sheriff, a
Clerk, or a Register of Probate should
take excessive fees, he must do it de-
signcdly, there being no computation to
be made of the probable amount Of the
fees TO which they are entitled. Their
compensation is fixed, and certain, and
obvious that of the Register of Deeds
as difficult 10 ascertain as it is to deter
mine the precise length Of the various
manuscripts upon which he is required
at once to decide. If it be true, there
fore, that there are instances in which
more than the amount of legal fees have
been received, that fact only goes to
prove the difficulty that we have sug-
gested. Beside. all this, we have the
declarations Of his Clerk (who is now
the only other candidate for the ofice)
repeatedly and openly made, that the
fees are taxed according TO old establish
ed rules-that they are no greater, in
any respect, than were taxed by the for
mer REGISTER, under whom he was for