Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-03-26


o., tte rise Of cafer courses. No other cause will
authorize an adjournmcnt--not the existence of an
epidemic even will answer When these contingent.
cics do happen ut county election the Sheriff can
not adjourn the poll, unless requested by
more OF the candidates or their agents. Why this
difiarencc' The commissioners in the other case. not
only are authorized, but required to adjourn! The
reason obvious at of thcse elections, there is
neither candidate nor the busy agent of one, and,
therefore, there is danger of those improper and
delnorazing practices which sometimes occur where
they ares whereas ut the general elections the law
expressly recognises their presence and agency The
words of the 18th section of the general election law
are these-"if the electors who appear TO be
merous that they cannot be all polled before set
ting, ifby rain rise o rater courses, many of
the electors may have been hindered from attend
ing, ute Sheriff or under Sheriff may and shall, by
request q one or more of he candidates or their agents,
adjourn the proceeding, &c.
My honorable colleague draws an argument from
the third section ofthc act for the election of members
of Congress The words relied on by him arc iial-
ciscd IN the copy printed for the House, and the
foliowiDg "LiEe proclamation shall be had for con-
ducting continuing, and closing the poll each countv
Of district as prescribed by lao in The election Of
members Of The General Assemble" NV collcarue
says it is admitted that the words cities and Jorouss
must be interlardod supplied in this clause to give
TO 1t the proper effect, and perfectly agree with him
that these words must be so supplied From this ad
mission, no asks, why then, may not the words
Mayor, be supplied In the fifteenth section of the pe-
neral election law With due respect, consider this
Us amounting to nothing more than plain peiitio
and boroughs must be supplied in the sentence Just
quoed' The answer is to carry into effect the knovn
ana apparent nay, the declared, intention of the
ton containing the sentence alluded 10.
That section commences by enactipg that sthe per-
sons Authorised by law 10 hold elections for members
of the General Assembly n cach county city and DO
rough, shall conduct the said election &c. (meannr
the election for members of Congress at which clcc-
ton the preceding section provides that "thc persons
qualified by law to vote for members ofthc House of
Delegates, IN each County, city and borough" shall
| The law which ant horses the voters in caoh CONN
ty city and borough, to for members of Congress
and requires elections to be holden Tor this purpose
IN each county, city borough when referring to the
general law Tor the rules by which the proceedings
at congressional elections to be conducted and
governed must necessarily be understood as intend
ing to apply those rules TO all the elections author
Zed by it.
\ Let then, the sentence be corrected bv s,ppIv;ny
the omitted words, and it will read thus Like pro-
ciamaton and proceedings shall be had for conduct
ns' continuing and closing the poll in each county,
cay ana borough of district is prescribed by law
IN the election OF members to the General Assembly
Then let the question be asked, which is the sub.
Ject In dc6ate-Wha continuing of election is
prescribed bylaw, IN case of an election for members
to the General Assembly? The answer is easy and
is to be found where but in the second section of
the general election law, by which, redGeiio snei,ia
stnSuiis shcris expressly authorised to continue
the poll IN certain cases, and Mayors are not so an
> thorIsed. There is no provision of any law from
which an inference be drawn, that such has evrr
been the legislative intention and therefore there is
no authority to supply by construction the words in
. question.
= The argument will not stop here. It has been stn
ted already that The general law was made in rho
year 1875. IL has, with the other laws of tho State
undergone go many revlsions, that can scarcely rn
: collect or state them. The last was in 1919 For
the information of members other than my COLLEEN cues
VIII state our usage in making those revisons. At
one session of the General Assembly, Committee
is appointed to revise the laws during the recess
These revscrs are eminent jariss of the bench and
bar. They reduce all the written law Of the State
on tile same subject into act, and rcnort In tho
next Assembly bills 10 reduce into one act &c Sc
AT the Spring elections following, the heads of the
bar IN different part of the country elected to as
sist in acting those revised bills at the mex, session
The work of revision has been simply that of revision
IN most cases, until the year 1919. At what was
then done, some rejoice and others feel rcpret That
. Assembly not only revised. but amended the laws.
Ihey PAID The most exact attention. only to sun
ply each edsW omisSus, TO remedy each defect hut 10
exercise the closest attention TO The grammatical con-
struction OF sentences. Whoever will examine the
revised code Of that year, will perceive in many ca
ses, after the word she" the words ''sbe or tbov -
between inverted commas-hc will perceive where
I the word she or she" had been formerly EMPLOYED
the words ''or they added and standing between in
verted commas. The explanation is this For tho
case and convenience ofjudges, lawyers aud students
Whatever the Tevisors of 1919 added or supplied il
y printed between inverted commas. You know, Mr..
Speaker that the Assembly of that ycar particular
w The Senate, contained many Of the most profound
! eagle eyed juris:s of our country-men whose irdus
try and vigilance nothing escaped With this expIo-
nation will proceed to expound the fifteenth and s
eenth sections of the general election law and in do
ing this, must refer members TO the printed comics
now in their hands. The fifteenth section is and
ever since 1T was first enacted in 1885, has been in
! these words- "
"No eector shall be admitted to poll second time
at one and the same election, although at the first
tlmo he shall have given but n single vote" Ifthe
electors who appear to BIO numerous that thew
not all be poed before sunsettiDg, or byan or rise
Of water courses, many of the electors may have been
hindered from attending, The Sheriff usder-She,1f
may and SHALL by request of any one or moro IF ,o
candidates. or their agents, adjourn the proceedi no
on the poll until the next day. and from day to day
for four days, (Sunduys excudcd) fthe game cause
continue, giving public notice thereof bv proclana
ton at the door Of the court house. or o,hcr Mace
of holding such election, and shall on the last dov
Of the election, conclude the poll according 10 the d
roctionS aioresadi but f the poll be held at any