Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-03-14

Daniel HnOr Humphrey Tedhe
William Veitch Mark Butts
Jobn Longdon iona. Butcher
". Rounsavell John b. Kroy
Gsoroe Wise Matthew Robinson
Thomas Sanford James Carson
John A. Stewart
At a subsequent meeting Of the board,
John Longden, was rejected president.
Ma. SNowDEN,
Nv remarks on the validity ofthe returns
of some of the commissioners OF the late
corporation election. were not intended 10
question the motives Of any of those gen.
tlemen. had no doubt that they decided
according 70 their honest convictions OF the
legal dutv imposed on them; but though
their motives were pure, their Judgment
NAV have been erroneous. Equally consci-
Gus OF correct intentions on nv own part,
and ANXIOUS for the public good, express
ed an opinion that the votes could not be
legally counted on the day on which the e.
lection was held, and endeavored by fair
and dispassionate argument to prevent the
continuation Of practice which might at
some future period produce serious evils.
A writer IN the Herald of the 9th instant,
who perhaps misnamed himself by the sig
nature of".a voter in The fourth zvard" says.
that the course pursued by the commission
ers in the lst, Sd and 4th wards was in
strict accordance with the practice ofall the
commissioners wi acted for l2 years under
the charter until, as this writer courteously
states, the predecessor of the late Mayor
made the important discovery of its iliega-
lily, and impressed tie commissioners OF
the d,ffeIent wards with the propriety Of
counting the votes on the following day.
The question "who made the important dis.
covery" does no: affect the correctness OF
the principle !tseems to have been adopt
ed by all the commissioners, except those
Of the 4th ward, until new light appeared
to dissipate the cloud which had covered
the mind of not only the predecessor of the
late Mayor, but of all the commissioners
the other wards for the last six years.
The writer in the Herald, states that the
phrase "tbe commissioners shall on the day
after the election make a list of all votes
received at said election" only intended to
make il obligatory on them, not to delay
their return beyond the next day. If this
had been the intention, is our language so
poor that other more opposite words could
not have been selected! Could not the law
have declared that they should either on the
same day, or Oh The next day make list OF
the votes? The meaning which The writer
gives the term shall" in this part of the
Oh, rter amounts TO the same as may. -
His illustration of the case of the bank OF
6cer unfortunately presents no analogy
The maker of the note promises 10 pay so
many days after dale:-he is. TO suit his own
convenience, allowed a certain number OF
days-wilbn that time be may pay II he
pleases. But if he does not pay at the end
OF the nuaber OF days called for in The note,
can he be said to have complied with his
promise. But suppose the bank oticer de-
mauds psymen, before the end OF the mum
Der of days, and Ior non payment protests
the no,el.--lt is well known that protest
made before a particular day is void.
The right of suffrage is, 1t is admitted,
valuable one. Yet is it so valuable that In
order to crafty inordinate curiosity, the
positive direction OF the charter is to be de.
parted from.
How will the reasoning of "a voter' on
this clause oil the charter apply 10 other
parts of it? lf is good on this point it is
equally SO as to other parts.
The ed section says each OF the Districts
shall be divided into two electoral wards;
But according to "a Voters" reasoning the
Districts may be divided into two electoral
wards.
The Sd section says " the members elect
ed shaH within seven days after their cleo
,;on. elect President of their own body,
who .kaU administer the oath Of cthce to the
other members. The President OF the Coun-
ell shall con, enc the Council whenever he
NAV he required by four members. In all