State rights and democratic union. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1839-18??, 1839-10-23


day following in November, 1888. The Cd
Sc ton Of the act prescribing the manner Of
nlIlng vacancies in public offices provides
=. nat when any vacancy shall occur in any
state oftce, DC. When the unexpred term
thereof shall have more than one wear to run,
II shall ne the duty of the Governor, &C., to
issue wrlts of election requiring an election
TO be held 20 fiji the unerpired term of said
once, &C.; and in the case of a State Office
TO give sixty days notice." The Hon. John
a. QuItman was elected Chancellor of the
State on the first Monday and day following
IN May, 1888. By the provisions of the
constitution his term expires on the first
Monday In November, 1889. He resigned
IN the fall of 1894, and Chancellor Turner
was elected to fill the vacancy occasioned by
bis resignation in December, 1884. Under
the Constitution and Law passed in pursu-
ance thereof the unerpired term which Chan
cellor Turner was elected TO fill expires on
the first Monday in November, 1889.
You are therefore required to give thirty
days notice, and open poll for the election
OF Chancellor on the first Monday and day
following in November next, and make due
returns Of the result of said election.
have quoted the Constitution and Law
governing the case, because some gentle
men of the Bar differ with me ir opinion on
this question. will commission the gentle
man having the greatest number Of votes for
the office Of Chancellor, at the November
election, 1889.
The 9th section of the 7th article pro-
Vides that, "Returns of all elections by the
people shall be made to the Secretary of
State in such manner as may be prescribed
BY law" This requistlon has been disre
garded heretofore very often. Returns of
elections by the people are frequently direct
ed to the Governor. This practice must be
The I'd section of the fifth article Of the
Constitution provides that "'Fhe returns Of
every election for Governor shall be sealed
up and transmitted to the Seat of Govern.
ment, directed to the Secretary of State. who
shall deliver them to the Speaker of the
House of Representatives at the next en-.
suing session of the Legislatures; during the
FIRST week of which session the said Speaker
shall open and publish them in presence of
both Houses of the Legislature" This pro.
vision has not been complied with heretofore.
You are therefore required to make out a
return Of the votes given for Gov.
ernOr; TO seal them up and mark on the en-.
Velope "Returns OF the election for Cover
nor, -- county, November, 1885,"
Unless this endorsement is made the return !
may be opened by mistake.
In your general return Of the result of the !
next November election you are required
also TO state the vote given for Governor of
he State and all State, District and County
officers, at that election. This return should
De made out in plain and Ineligible man.
Ter. Some Sheriffs are in the habit of re-
turning the scraps of paper with the tallies
IF the clerks of the various precints. This
system should be discontinued. The votes
IF each precinct must be summed up, and
return made of the vote given to each person,
and the Office he was voted to fill.
call your particular attention to the "act
regulating elections in this State" o. See
avs Of Mississippi, page Ala. In that law
il is provided, in the 18th section, that in the
election for District officers a return shall be
made TO the Sheriff of the county first named
IN the law laying off the Districts. This law
loes not relieve the Sheriffs from the duty
imposed upon them by the Constitution of
making the returns Of the election of District
officers to the Secretary of State also.
The returns of the general election are re-
1uired to be made to the Secretary within
fifteen days after the election. The law is
silent as to the manner in which the returns
are to be forwarded. The usual practice has
been to send them through the Post Office.
The law is imperative in requiring the returns
10 be made to the Secretary of State Uithin
fifteen days; and the returning officer is liable
to heavy penalty if they are not deposited
with the Secretar, in that time. IT is not
with the law to make out the re.
turns and deposit them in the Post Office
,c.thin fifteen dtys. suggest to you the
when the county is remote from a
triweekly mail route to the seat of Govern
ment, Of making out duplicate returns and
depositing one in the Post Office in your
county, and sendingt the other by private con-
veyance to some Post Office on mail route
where the mail passes three times week to
this place.
The stability of our free Government main
" depends upon the strict enforcement of the
law governing elections. It is Of The utmost
Importance that the returns Of the next elec-
ton should reach here ,osthin fifteen days af.
ter the election; if they fail to arrive, the
members elected to Congress cannot reach
City in time TO vote for Speaker
of the House, and the voice of the State can
not be heard on that important question. 1t
is, therefore, necessary that the return of the
election in your county should be made up
and forwarded Immediately after the election
is over.
Direct your returns to "Thomas B. Wood
ward Esq. Secretary of State. Jackson. Mis-.